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«MY HUSBAND!’' SUDDENLY MURMURED MADAME DE 
MINELEKO.— (P. 29.) 


G \ ^ , A \ c X 


ow 


PEIMEOSE EDITION. 


Issued Monthly. ei_TTTTv icon 

Subscription Price, $6,00 Per Year. iNo. o. juijx, louu. 

Copyrighted, 1890, hy Street c6 Smith. 

Entered at the Post-Office, New York, as Second-Class Matter. 


HER ROYAL LOVER 


pO 


A NOVEL. 




AUG 331890 , ! 

V / 

'v. VV/)sH!NGTOP' 


By ARY |CILAW. 







Translated 'by Mrs. N. T. LAYCOCK. 


NEW YORK: 

STBEET & SMITH, Publishers, 

31 Rose Street. 




PREFACE. 


To Her Imperial Highness: 

Madame La Princess : — Your Imperial Highness will 
recollect how much we have both been affected by 
the cruel fate of the heroine of this narrative? If I 
have desired to relate it thus to the world, it is not 
merely to prove that that which appears the most 
improbable is often but too true in life, but in order 
to demonstrate how, stifling the cries of conscience, 
wounded vanity and pride, in its demoniacal 
hideousness, can crush the innocent. 

To the great of the earth I dedicate this book, 
who imagine they have the right to violate the laws 
even, and forget, in the intoxication of their haughty 
arrogance, that above them there is one greater 
than they — God ! and that he will measure his justice 
to them according to the measure that they have 
meted to their victims. 

Marble hearts form ice around them. It is in 
these mirrors that they must look, in order to see 
themselves such as they are. 

Always and forever thine, madam, 

A. E. 


Perm, Siberia, October, 1885. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER. PAGE. 

I — The Caucasian Beauty 9 

II — Two Lovers 18 

III — Count Heiligenthal 22 

IV — Why She Married Him 32 

V — The Jealous Husband 41 

VI — “I Must See You Alone.” 52 

VII — Heiligenthal’s Visit 57 

I VIII — At the Banquet 63 

IX — The Opiate 66 

X — A Horrible Dream 72 

XI — In the Studio 76 

XII — “ Oh, Infamous Creature !” 102 

XIII —Plans to Destroy the King 104 

XIV — An Appointment 114 

XV — Repulsed 121 

XVI— The Whip 139 

XVII — Note from the King 147 

XVIII— The Flower Girls 153 

XIX — The Wagging of Tongues 158 

XX — A Summons from the King 161 

XXI — Obeying His Majesty 165 

XXII — The Stolen Paper 171 

XXIII— The Prince Sees His Wife 178 

XXIV — Indignation of the King 180 

XXV — Proposal of Marriage 183 

XXVI — The Divorce 191 

XXVII — A Prey to Remorse 198 

XXVIII— Regrets 204 

XXIX — The King’s Presents 209 

XXX— A Feeble Reed 213 

XXXI— The Two Old Maids 221 

XXXII — The Private Marriage 225 


\ 


CONTENTS, 

CHAPTER. PAGE. 

XXXIII — The Royal Procession 234 

XXXIV — The Empress’ Rage 241 

XXXV — “You Must Expel That Woman.” 252 

XXXVI — Najeska Ivanowna’s Courage 257 

XXXVII — Under the Weight of Her Cross 269 

XXXVIII— A New Insult 276 

XXXIX — A Change for the Better 282 

XL — The Marriage Announcement 286 

XLI — The Judge’s Anguish 292 

XLII — A Ray of Hope 298 

XLIII-The Duel 307 

XLIV — Najeska’s Reflections 323 

XLV — A Woman’s Faith 330 

XLVI— Last Hours 341 



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HER ROYAL LOVER 


CHAPTER I. 

THE CAUCASIAN BEAUTY. 

“See, then, how smitten the king appears!” 

“You think so?” 

“ Follow his eyes ; he cannot turn them away from 
her; see, also, how secretly vexed the women are!” 

“Who is she?” 

“You do not know her?” 

“How could you suppose that a bird of passage 
like me, arriving this very afternoon from Paris, 
before setting out to-morrow morning for the East, 
could know her?” 

“But, my dear, that is Madame de Mineleko, 
Ambassadress from Caucasus, hardly married a 
year.” 

This short colloquy took place between two guests 
of the grand ball which was given at the little 
Court of Thessaly to celebrate simultaneously the 
betrothals of the two charming daughters of the 
king, a widower since several years. 

The exiguity of the kingdom of Thessaly did not 


10 


HETi ROYAL LOVER. 


exclude a less rigorous etiquette than that of the 
greatest courts. 

The salons in which the ball took place were 
adorned with men in brilliant uniforms and women 
in gala toilets. Among this multitude, coming and 
going, those who attracted the most attention were 
incontestably the affianced ladies who, with the 
exception of certain princes of the royal family, 
were remarkable for their beauty, truly rare. 

The first was the Princess Agusta of Thessaly, 
and her cousin, Prince George of Pattenpouff. Now 
the Pattenpouffs, at the close of this good nineteenth 
century, have the immense chance which the Co- 
burgs had in the commencement. “ They attain to 
the highest destinies,” some say, “by the intrigue of 
their mother;” others affirm that they owe it to their 
real qualities. 

Prince George of Pattenpouff possessed a delicacy, 
a regularity of features, that in nowise spoiled his 
tall and slender form. 

The Princess Agusta had a little of the type of her 
grandmother, the Empress of Hindustan, type hap- 
pily attenuated by that of the royal family of Thes- 
saly, so remarkable for its beauty. 

But the glory, the radiance of the fete, was as- 
suredly the Princess Aline of Thessaly, betrothed to 
the Grand Duke Ivan, brother of the Emperor of 
Caucasus. 

Let us stop a moment before this radiant child, 
who did not count more than eighteen summers. 

Have you never in the morning mist, remained in 
contemplative ecstasy before a rising sun, which on 
issuing from a rent in the clouds, inundates in 
dilating, little by little, the landscape with a bril- 
liancy always increasing, always augmenting, mak- 


HEB BOYAL LOVEB. 


11 


in^ you think thus of that refulgent Jerusalem, of 
that heaven where all is light ! 

Such an effect the Princess Aline produced. 
Everywhere she passed, she left behind her a 
luminous train. Tall, fragile, she had features 
that Phidias had vainly attempted to embellish. 
Her eyes, of a deep azure, like the wild forget-me- 
nots, instead of shining on this day with the exuber- 
ance of their eighteen years, were veiled with a 
cloud of melancholy and of reverie, which showed 
that the soul was far from this fete^ in which the 
body alone took part. Her complexion, her hair, 
her expression, were so radiant that she would have 
lightened the darkness even. 

That smile so sweet, which bloomed so brilliantly 
on this fresh young face ; that regal inclination of 
the head, which seemed the innate appanage of an 
empress ; these movements at the same time spright- 
ly and undulating, rendered her beautiful ! beauti- 
ful! Thus at this moment, Ivan Alexandrowitch 
had only eyes for her, without preoccupying himself 
with the malicious tongues, which, wagging merrily, 
whispered in his train, even on this betrothal visit 
to the country of his fiancee, that there were two 
clouds in a royal palace certainly less prudish than 
this of Thessaly, charming little animals with rosy 
muzzles, who, with their pointed teeth, white as 
milk, encased in their red and humid gums, nibbled 
all that they could devour of the possessions of the 
grand duke. 

Aline of Thessaly observed complacently the 
movements of her father and Madame de Mineleko. 
Ivan Alexandrowitch, eager near his fiancee, did 
not lose her out of his sight ; each of the regards of 
the young girl were followed by those of the grand 


12 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


duke, who could not mistake this cry of admiration 
which escaped (if I may so express it) from the 
princess : 

‘‘Truly, she is very beautiful!” 

“Not as beautiful as you, princess,” the grand 
duke responded, very gallantly. “Does she please 
you?” 

“ Oh, yes, very much ! and my sister, Agusta, is en- 
tirely of my opinion. The ambassadress possesses 
such a charm that it seems that no one can resist 
her ; but her husband, however, is a veritable Blue- 
beard, jealous as a tiger, who, it is said, renders her 
life miserable. 

“But it seems to me that,” commenced Ivan Alex- 
andro witch, with a peculiar smile, looking toward 
the king and Madame de Mineleko. He did not 
finish his thought. 

“What does it seem to your highness?” said Aline 
of Thessaly, in an icy tone, desiring to make him 
comprehend that she would defend the king and 
Madame de Mineleko against him and against every 
one, and that on occasion she would retain a very 
strong resentment to him who, even in thought, 
would dare to reproach those two beings, one of 
whom was so dear to her and, the other so sympa- 
thetic. 

The king was now no longer speaking to 
Madame de Mineleko, but to that one of the ladies 
who, in the circle which he formed, had been able 
to hold his attention the longest ; he continued this 
fatiguing drudgery, consisting of finding two or 
three amiable but different words for each of these 
ladies, who, bowing to the ground on the passage of 
his majesty, vied with each other as to who should 
at the most opportune time best perform that famous 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


13 


ceremonial reverence, object of so many solicitudes, 
of so much study. 

According to the programme of this royal fete, a 
quadrille of honor was to follow the circle of the 
king ; the betrothed would dance it together, and the 
king with one of the ambassadresses. 

The mistress of ceremonies, the Countess Lang- 
weilig, was passing and repassing, full of business 
with the Count of Leerkopf, the master of cere- 
monies. Like all the rest of the women, she threw 
by stealth an envious glance upon the incontestable 
beauty of the evening, the new Ambassadress of 
Caucasus, whom the king would undoubtedly order 
to dance the quadrille of honor with him. 

Thus, it was this arrival of yesterday who alone 
was noticed, who alone was admired this evening ! 
Grave outrage to the spirit of these native women, 
who, certainly, would have cordially detested one 
of their compatriots on whom such an honor had 
been conferred ; thus, how could they ever pardon 
this rival come from abroad, this foreigner preferred 
to them all ! What an offense ! what an abhorrence ! 

Yes, she was truly the luminous star of this firma- 
ment, this slender and supple Caucasian, whose 
hair, bronzed like a chestnut ripened by the rays of 
an ardent sun, then no less scintillating than the 
diadem of diamonds and rubies set boldly upon the 
scarlet velvet “kokochnik,” and from whence flowed 
the long and becoming gauze veil bordered with 
gold. 

What was the color of this woman's eyes? 

Like the chameleon they seemed to change their 
hue, p.ccording as the emotions of her heart alter- 
nately increased or diminished their brilliancy. At 
certain times the light which flowed from them 


14 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


was bold like the regard of the eagle which soars 
toward the highest regions of heaven. Then, when 
with dilated pupils, she directed her regard on some 
one, it produced the effect of an electric shock. 
Then, suddenly, a delicious smile produced on her 
face a mutinous and mischievous expression, similar 
to that of the roguish shepards of Tragonard and of 
Watteau, and displayed, through lips fresh as the 
petals of the rose, teeth of snowy whiteness. 

In this woman of a sculptural and pleasing form, 
that the satin of her somewhat tight-fitting robe 
charmingly molded, all was harmonious, from the 
dainty feet imprisoned in fine scarlet shoes, to her 
admirably gloved hands, whose delicate childish 
wrist was inclosed in a superb diamond bracelet 
that a queen would not have disdained. 

This feminine apparition, truly ravishing, excited 
a spirit of rivalry in all; the old men, bedizened 
with decorations, whose hanging lips sought to dis- 
simulate it under an amiable smile; were re- 
animated, and revivified by the sight of her. The 
young and vivacious aides-de-camp, with all the 
advantages with which nature had endowed them, 
exerted themselves to attract the attention of this 
star of the fete. 

The Count de Leerkopf, the master of ceremonies, 
was himself subjugated, while the countess, his 
wife, a coquette approaching nearly her fiftieth 
year, without, however, losing any of her pretentions 
to youth and beauty, had, with great acrimony, 
elevated high her head when the Prince of Theiss, 
one of the king’s cousins, had exclaimed with en- 
thusiasm, on showing her Madame de Mineleko : 

“What a pretty woman!” 

“Goodness! they speak of nothing but her this 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


15 


evening! That is what it is to be a ‘new-comer!’ ” 
and the countess made a disdainful move. 

“Anew arrival — a sensation,” smilingly said the 
Prince of Theiss. 

“And of a very bad reputation!” exclaimed, with 
acerbity, this countess, acidulated like a green fruit 
when she heard the beauty and youth of other 
women extolled. 

“ What ! she has a bad reputation ?” 

“ Execrable, mon prince ! It was about her that 
they talked so much last summer at Carlsbad.” 

“Talked of her! With whom? and who said it?” 

The countess, having no name to furnish, seized 
the ball that calumniaters, when at bay, always 
seize. 

“ With whom? Monseigneur is very simple ! But — 
with everybody. Who said it? But — everybody said 
it. See her eyes, how they seek all the men !” 

The Prince of Theiss had by no means made this 
remark so unfavorable to every honest woman ; but, 
in order not to augment the fury of this gentle 
countess, become an enraged shrew by the admira- 
tion which this young beauty excited, he prudently 
changed the tenor of their conversation. 

“And she comes from?” 

“ She is a Caucasian — that is all that I know. Her 
husband is he who, eight or nine months ago, had 

with the Prince of H that celebrated duel, for 

which they sent him to take the air in the heart of 
Asia when, it is said,” this viper added, malicious- 
ly “the emperor allowed himself to be moved by 
the prayers— the favors even of the guilty man’s 
wife.” 

“What? Madame de Mineleko was already mar- 


16 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


ried at that epoch? How long is it then since she 
married the prince?” 

‘‘A year. The duel took place a few months after 
her marriage. But, moreover, this quiet young 
woman is from twenty-five to thirty years old.” 

Madame de Mineleko was scarcely twenty. 

“Was the duel occasioned by the frivolous con- 
duct of the princess, or was it on the husband’s part, 
the effect of an ill-founded jealousy?” 

“I do not know; but, certainly his wife could 
never have loved him much. She was forced to 
make this marriage, a brilliant match for her, whose 
fortune was very moderate.” 

“ But he must be terrible, this husband ! A verita- 
ble Othello!” 

“Boorman! He suffers horribly from the con- 
stant coquetries of his fickle spouse.” 

“She is so young! — so beautiful!” 

“That is a matter of taste !” 

“No, it is an incontestable fact. And her husband 
appears to adore her,” said the Prince of Theiss, 
following with his eyes M. de Mineleko, who, lean- 
ing against a screen, was conversing absently with 
M. de Brandt, Minister of the Interior. 

At each instant he turned his eyes in the direction 
where the charming silhouette of his wife was 
delineated, chosen indeed by the king to figure with 
him in the quadrille of honor. Her beauty was en- 
hanced by this distinction ; surrendering herself to 
the happiness of the moment, she danced with an 
ease which, tempered by an unusual grace, gave her 
an inexpressible charm. 

Suddenly, as she was vis-a-vis the grand duke and 
the Princess Aline, Ivan Alexandrowitch, profiting 
of the moment when the lady is obliged to give her 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


17 


hand to the cavalier who is opposite her, murmured 
very low in her ear : 

“Do you know, princess, that Waldemar de Heil- 
igenthal is present at this fete f ’ 

At those words she became very pale, and be- 
lieved that she was going to fall ; but, resisting the 
emotion which invaded her, she surmounted that 
momentary weakness. She did not respond to the 
grand duke, and, when she turned around again to 
the king, the Princess of Mineleko had completely 
recovered her self-possession. However, from this 
moment, a close observer would have easily been 
able to perceive that her eyes seemed to desire to 
penetrate the crowd, as though seeking some one. 


18 


EEB BOYAL LOVEBi 


CHAPTER II. 

TWO LOVERS. 

While in the principal salon of the chateau all 
these incidents were unfolding, the gravity of which 
will soon be perceived, a duet of love was cooing in 
a little alcove adjoining the apartments where, not 
far from the grand salon, they were playing whist. 

“They are still inexorable!” whispered in the ear 
of a handsome young man the sweet voice of a 
ravishing brunette enveloped in a vaporous cloud of 
rose tulle, and whose black hair, gathered in a large 
knot on the top of a delicate and crafty head, gave 
to this physiognomy a stamp which recalled the 
delicious and mutinous Patti. A large bouquet of 
rose camellias, arranged like the diva alone knows 
how to arrange them as Rosine in “ The Barber of 
Seville,” bloomed in the midst of the jet-braids of 
the young girl. 

“What!” responded her cavalier, “your parents 
refuse to listen even to the slightest allusion to our 
marriage, on which depends the entire happiness of 
our lives? You love me as I love you, is it not so, 
Walpurga?” 

“If I love you, Conrad! But look then in that 
mirror, and see if, among all these princes and 
nobles, there is a single one who may be compared 
with you!” 

Effectively, Conrad Halier, the unhappy suitor of 
the young Countess of Heiligenthal, was a brilliant 
cavalier. Blond like a Saxon, superbly built, of a 
fine carriage, the form tall and arched, the mustache 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


19 


long and silky, which he turned up swaggeringly 
between his long slender fingers, the young re- 
frendary, whose carriage was rather that of an 
officer of the guard than an advocate, was sure of 
being able to, like his father, the Chief of the Su- 
preme Tribunal of the Residence (a common name 
given to the capitol), to aspire one day to the most 
elevated positions of the magistracy. 

An only son, he was rich — a great deal richer 
than most of the princes, counts and bar- 
ons, who, transported by the harmonious sounds 
of the orchestra, were whirling at this moment in 
the ball-room of this royalty of the third order. 
However, in the minor as in the greater courts of 
continental Europe, when one is not noble, one is 
almost a pariah in society ; so wills the vain and 
narrow minds of these little kingdoms where Poverty 
& Co. are admitted with any little whatsoever, while 
if hazard has not presided to ennoble their birth, the 
young people of the most meritorious families see 
themselves often refused invitations to balls of the 
meanest of princelings. 

So, this young man, of a great intelligence, capa- 
ble of attaining to the highest social positions, 
having neither parchment nor coat of arms, was re- 
jected by the poor but noble family of Heiligenthal, 
who sacrificed thus to their pride the assured hap- 
piness of Walpurga. How if, this evening, the two 
young people could abandon themselves without 
restraint to the pleasures of the dance, they owed 
it to Aunt Mohrenberg, a half-blind dowager, who 
chaperoned Walpurga, whose parents were absent, 
restrained by a slight indisposition. 

Madame Haller, mother of the handsome Conrad, 
was the only daughter of the court pharmacist 


20 


HEB ROYAL LOVER, 


who, dying, left her a fine fortune. Arriving at a 
marriageable age, she had wedded a very young 
man, then a simple refrendary. Eare talents, 
seconded by an indefatigable love of work, had 
rapidly advanced this man in the career of the law 
which he had chosen ; at the end of thirty years of 
a regular and incorruptible life, he found himself 
on the highest round of the ladder of his profession ; 
he was judge of the court, then president of the 
supreme tribunal. 

Notwithstanding the high position that her hus- 
band had been able to make for her,. Madame 
Haller was not happy. Consumed with ambition, 
she dreamed of nothing less than to obtain from the 
king the ennoblement of her husband, in order to be 
able to go to court and be treated there on the same 
footing of equality as the princesses and countesses. 

But, alas ! her desire did not seem to be realized 
so promptly. If she was occasionally admitted to 
the palace, it was always in the ante-rooms, in the 
crowd of guests of the fifth rank on the occasion of 
an extraordinary fete. Among that enormous multi- 
tude she passed unperceived. Never had she assisted 
at the select reunions. 

From his most tender infancy, Conrad had always 
heard the lamentations of his mother : lamentations 
so often repeated that, even for this intelligent son, 
this prejudice which he had, if I may so express it, 
experienced the evil of in the bosom of his mother, 
had created in him a species of resentment which 
increased when, for an increase of misfortune, he 
was smitten with a young noble girl vrhose family 
refused her hand to him who had no other nobility 
than that of the heart. This circumstance only 
rendered still more eager the desire which they had 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


21 


to see the king accord them this nobility, object of 
all their ambitions. 

Conrad said to himself with bitterness that, if he 
found himself this evening at the court, he owed it 
only to the great betrothal fete of the princesses. 
The king, desiring the people to share in the happi- 
ness which he prepared for his daughters, had been 
liberal in his invitations. In fact, in this dense 
crowd, how many saw for the first time, and with- 
out doubt for the last, the gilded ceilings of the 
salons of the palace of the Residence ! 

“My dear Conrad, we must separate,” said Wal- 
purga, after some moments passed in a delicious 
tete-a-tete, far from the eyes of all, and endeavoring 
thus to console themselves for the obstacles which 
opposed their marriage. “ It is time that I return 
to my aunt ; she commences, without doubt, to grow 
uneasy at my absence — she may find it perhaps too 
long. For our interest, it is necessary that she may 
have nothing disagreeable to say to my family. 
Take me back then to her.” 

And the two young people, returning to the 
crowded salons, were again carried along by the 
human waves. 


22 


EEB BOTAL LOVEB, 


CHAPTER III. 

COUNT HEILIGENTHAL. 

Notwithstandins: the presence of many beauties 
remaining hitherto undisputed, Madame de Mineleko 
was still the attraction which captivated all regards. 

The king had left her. Now, on the arm of the 
royal prince, she promenaded, fresh and graceful, 
creating everywhere upon her passage a flood of 
admiration. She advanced with head erect, a smile 
on her lips, really happy and proud of this triumph, 
always grateful to every pretty woman arrived to 
the apogee of her glory. She appeared to have com- 
pletely forgotten the anxiety that the words of Ivan 
Alexandrowitch had made her experience, when 
suddenly, despite the very complacent attention 
which she seemed to lend to the gallant and empty 
discourse that his royal highness delivered, a lively 
terror was depicted on her charming features ; she 
tottered and was obliged, in order not to fall, to lean 
heavily upon the arm which she scarcely seemed to 
touch before. 

“Great God! princess, what is the matter?” cried 
the prince royal, whom the sudden alteration of 
Madame de Mineleko had not escaped. 

Still very pale, the ambassadress endeavored to 
smile : 

“It is nothing— absolutely nothing; I am subject 
to these giddy spells, and ” 

“Then, princess, you should not gratify yourself 
by giving them,” responded, very gallantly, the 
prince, really fascinated by this pretty woman. 
“But, seriously are you not ill?” 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


23 


‘^Notatall. I felt a slight uneasiness. It passed 
very quickly, and without any consequence. How 
sorry I am then to have thus frightened your high- 
ness!” added she, on seeing the prince fasten upon 
her regards filled with uneasiness. 

“Najeska Ivanowna,” these words alone, flung in 
her ear by the grave voice of a young man passing 
rapidly by her, the impassioned flame of the looks 
which he had cast upon her, had sufficed to awaken 
in the beautiful ambassadress all this disquietude, 
inexplicable for all but her. 

A year had already expired since the princess had 
seen this specter of Banquo, and behold ! at the first 
grand fete given at the Court of Thessaly, where she 
had only just arrived, appeared to her he who had 
loved her with a delicious love ; he to whom she had 
been affianced, and to whom her father had refused 
her in order to give her to the richest of her ad- 
mirers. 

“Will your highness leave me an instant? I feel 
that I can only recover when alone,” said she, sud- 
denly, on seeing in the distance the supplicating 
eyes that the stranger fixed upon her — whose humble 
but impassioned attitude seemed to say to her: 
“ Dismiss the prince, I entreat you I I must speak to 
you!” 

The prince, great lord, in the true acceptation of 
the word, conducted the young woman to a remote 
drawing-room where the noise of the crowd could 
not even reach her, then, bowing profoundly to the 
princess, he discreetly retired. 

His highness had hardly disappeared behind the 
heavy portiere, when the stranger was already 
with the ambassadress. He remained standing a 
moment, silent, absorbed in a veritable contempla- 


84 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


tion; Madame de Mineleko, mute, her fan before 
her eyes, her head slightly bowed, divined rather 
than saw him. At last these words escaped the lips 
of the stranger : 

‘‘You see, madam, I am not dead yet!” 

Slowly, sadly, Madame de Mineleko raised her 
head. 

“I pray you,” said she, gently, “let us forget the 
past, and let us converse like old friends.” 

“What!” said he, “you wish me to forget a past 
which has remained so dear to me, although the 
role that you have played in it has been so odious !” 

He could not continue, so great was the indigna- 
tion expressed in the eyes of the princess who, rising 
precipitately, regarded him with a sort of defiance, 
cast at the injurious words which he had just pro- 
nounced. Then, reconsidering, she suddenly as- 
sumed a tone of badinage but little in harmony with 
the alteration of her voice. 

“ Come, count, let us not play tragedy here ; offer 
me your arm, and let us take a turn in the ball- 
room. Will you not dance a quadrille with me?” 

The young man, confounded by so much sang 
froid, threw an icy glance upon the beautiful am- 
bassadress : 

“ Adieu, madam, since you have nothing else to 
say to me!” 

“Adieu, then.” 

As she was about to withdraw, the stranger, with 
a passionate gesture, threw himself before her, 
obliging her to remain. 

“No,” said he, “no— you cannot leave me thus! 
You must tell me first, that which you have refused 
to tell me for a year. What did you do when this 
marriage was broken which we had determined 


BEB ROYAL LOVER. 


25 


with so much love, with so much happiness? Noth- 
ing came then to mitigate this and decree the mis- 
fortune of my life ! Not a kind word fell from your 
lips upon the bleeding wound of my heart ! not a 
word of consolation was sent me to enable me to 
support that horrible torture. A dry and cold letter 
from your father announced to me, as a very com- 
monplace, a very ordinary event, that ^some circum- 
stances recently transpired would hinder this union 
that is all that they thought necessary to fling in 
my face as an explanation of a lost happiness — a 
stolen happiness ! When, after such a missive, and 
with despair, I ran to your house, desperate, en- 
treating a domestic to allow me to see you ; when by 
dint of prayers, he was moved and went to take you 
my card, what did you do? Cold as marble you re- 
fused to receive me. To all my letters, confldents 
of my sorrows, of my anguish, you did not deign to 
give the least response capable of soothing a heart 
with which you had played so heedlessly! But 
twenty-four hours later you left Nice, and, a short 
time after, all the journals published your engage- 
ment with the rich Prince of Mineleko. 

‘‘ It is a year since all that, madam ! A year of 
sufferings, of struggles, of disdain! I wished to 
forget you, but I could not. This evening, I have 
you in my power; you shall not leave me until you 
have given me this explanation which I have a 
right to demand of you. I wish it, I exact it !” 

A haughty look from Madame de Mineleko cut 
short this conversation, the -violence of which 
seemed to increase as the count spoke. 

‘‘Monsieur, cease, I pray you, these pleasantries; 
I desire to leave you, and I expect from your court- 


26 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


esy that you will take me immediately to the draw- 
ing-rooms.” 

“Najeska — Najeska Ivanowna! — have pity on me! 
— do not force me to extremities ! Do you not see 
that I am mad? Who would have ever been able to 
believe that you would one day repulse me thus! 
Have you forgotten, then, your oaths of love? Have 
you forgotten those divine days, passed under the 
sunny skies of the South? Those evenings where, 
entwined, we waltzed indefatigably, happy to feel 
ourselves in each other's arms! — blessed hours in 
which we exchanged vows of a fidelity which was 
to be eternal ! 

“ But let us leave these remembrances, as dear as 
painful to my heart. I see you then! What an 
effect this meeting produces on me ! but, however, I 
cannot say that it rekindles in me a love illy ex- 
tinguished, for I have never had any other thought 
but you, I declare it to you before God ! Freely I 
surrendered myself; freely you had chosen me 
among many others; by what right did you re- 
pulse me?” 

Monsieur de Heiligenthal, if you do not let me 
go, I will call. At present you transgress the limits 
of all propriety ; I like to believe that this paroxysm 
of folly will cease as soon as you appeal to your 
good sense, to your reason, then you will see how 
more impossible than ever all intercourse between 
us has become, and I expect from your chivalrous 
gallantry the promise that you will make no attempt 
to bring about a meeting between us.” 

‘‘You believe that I will go away?” 

“ I pray you ! If necessary, I even order you to do 
so.” 

“Well, no I I will not go away 1” Then changing 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


27 


his tone : “ISfajeska Ivanowna ! there is yet time — in 
the name of Heaven — in the name of your past love, 
listen to me!” said he. 

‘‘ That is what I will not do, count. I refuse abso- 
lutely.” 

And why?” 

“Why — because I am the wife of another, and 
that nothing which I do is concealed from my hus- 
band. If the Prince of Mineleko suspected that 
which has just passed between us, he would know 
how to disembarrass me of your persecutions. 
Has not report then taught you that one may not 
jest with Louis Michailowitch, Prince of Mineleko? 
Now, I am not one of these women who bring mis- 
fortune and scandal upon the heads of others.” 

“And is it from me, madam, that you wish to 
avert misfortune? So then ! — this is a sarcasm.” 

“Yes, I wish to prevent a misfortune, and an 
irreparable misfortune, for if my husband saw you 
paying addresses to me, he would challenge you to 
a duel, and then ” 

“ It is truly high time to have such a great fore- 
thought for me. But who other than you, madam, 
has crushed me under the weight of misfortune 
which I must endure? Was it as a proof of your 
solicitude for me that you consented to put in 
parallel with my poverty and my love, the millions 
and the position of the Prince of Mineleko? Was 
it still through solicitude, through love even, that 
you placed yourself on that side of the scale where 
fortune weighed the balance, and that you did not 
hesitate between him who brought you riches and 
honor and him who could offer you nothing but 
poverty, and ” 

“Ah, Waldemar, you are severe— you are cruel!” 


28 


BER ROYAL LOVER. 


exclaimed the young woman, who could no longer 
sustain the role which she had imposed upon herself 
in this comedy. “ Do you not see that I, also, am at 
the end of my strength— have you no eyes, then, but 
for your own sufferings, and are you thus blind to 
that of others?” 

“But then, Najeska, you love me still! Ah! tell 
me so, that you are still mine at heart ! tell me so, 
and I go without murmuring!” cried the young 
man, affected at last by the real grief imprinted 
upon the features of the princess. 

“No! No! — I will not say so; I cannot say so; 
that would be to betray my husband !” 

“Is it necessary for you to tell me so? I see it. I 
feel it ! everything in you proves it ; your palpitating 
bosom, your pale lips, the anxious expression of 
your face when I suddenly arose before you ! 
Najeska Ivanowna, do not lie! — you love me! — you 
love me ! Without that, wha-t would it signify to 
you if your husband should challenge me to a duel?” 
said he, with all the conceit of a man who does not 
admit for a single instant that an unhappy woman 
might tremble for any other than himself. 

“It is only very lately,” continued Heiligenthal, 
“that the truth has at last disclosed itself, and that 
I have known that which has caused our separa- 
tion. When the news was reported that you had 
renounced our marriage only in order to save your 
father from ruin and dishonor, when I knew why 
you had consented to destroy it— our happiness — 
and when I had learned that you were here, for a mo- 
ment I believed that I would go mad with joy. The 
coldness that you affected at my approach, the con- 
fusion that you appeared to experience from it, the 
care that you took to keep me out of your path, are 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


29 


SO many apprehensions that you have for the danger 
that I might incur. But, do not tremble ; I will be 
calm, I will be prudent, for I love you ! for I want 
you ! When I received from your father that letter 
which put forever an impediment to our projects, I 
became furious. I wished to come and seek you, to 
kill you, you whom I had loved so much and whom 
I lost, your father who broke this union, and that 
other, who stole from me the only desire of my life, 
the joy of my existence ! I wished to kill him no 
matter who he was — I wanted blood in order to 
satiate my vengeance. But I became ill — oh, yes ! 
very ill — perhaps you find me changed even yet. 
However, I am healed, in body at least. One single 
aim alone remains to me now ; that of possessing 
you, of having you myself, in spite of this marriage, 
in spite of your husband, whose life I want and that 
I will have! Najeska Ivanowna, I am going to 
leave you, to give you time to choose. One observa- 
tion alone before separating from you ; never forget 
that I am as tenacious as he — the other one. What- 
soever you do, we are bound to each other; our 
union, sealed by an invisible spirit, is more indis- 
soluble than if the church itself had consecrated, it. 
After having been your fiance, you have now no 
longer the right to repulse me.” 

Carried away by his passion, he seemed to take a 
bitter pleasure in pouring out the overfiow of his 
heart. 

“My husband!” suddenly murmured Madame de 
Mineleko. 

In fact, the Ambassador of Caucasus, putting 
aside the portiere which concealed the place 
where the two young people were, had just ap- 
peared. He advanced toward them, his brow 


30 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


laden with clouds that the prolonged absence of the 
princess had amassed there. 

“Thanks, monsieur,” said she aloud to Heiligen- 
thal; “you may dispense with the drudgery that I 
have inflicted upon you ; here is my husband, my 
lord and master ; it is upon him devolves the duty of 
conducting me to the dressing-room, for I wish to 
retire.” 

The Prince of Mineleko had that thoughtful ex- 
pression that ISTajeska knew to be the certain indi- 
cation of an approaching tempest. He coldly offered 
his arm to his charming companion. 

Heiligenthal, with swelling heart at being thus 
dismissed, remained riveted to the same place, fol- 
lowing with his eyes the young princess whose lithe 
and slender form was at present entirely enveloped 
in the crimson satin mantel embroidered with gold, 
which her husband had just thrown over her shoul- 
ders. On seeing this vaporous creature disappear 
with this man so little calculated to inspire love, the 
unhappy Waldemar was invaded by an immense 
despair. 

“Who do you follow thus with your eyes? The 
Princess of Mineleko, without doubt?” suddenly said 
a young and cheerful voice, while a hand fell 
familiarly on the shoulder of Heiligenthal. It was 
a young secretary of the Armenian Embassy, very 
intimate with Waldemar ’s family. 

This apparition, which drew him from the allure- 
ment of his thoughts, permitted no denial on the 
part of the count, whose ill-humor betrayed itself. 

“Ah! so, my dear, was not the flirtation success- 
ful? do not blame thy person for it, it is exceedingly 
good, moreover, even all that there is of the best ; 


Em BOYAL LOVEB. 


31 


but only an element stronger than thou, and whose 
object is the same.” 

“The king?” murmured Heiligenthal, through his 
closed lips. 

“Bless me! yes, the king,” said the Armenian, 
smiling. “What woman was ever known to resist 
a majesty? And what have you to offer her as a 
compensation for the sweet joy which she will ex- 
perience on seeing herself preferred to all the other 
women, whose jealousy will be without limit against 
this monopolizer, very involuntary, without doubt, 
of the royal favors. Come! let us go to supper. 
Some cups of Cliquot will quickly remove this 
heavy sadness which disturbs thy countenance.” 


32 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


CHAPTER IV. 

WHY SHE MAERIED HIM. 

The observer, in fact, was not mistaken in his 
previsions when he affirmed that the Ambassador of 
Caucasus was devoured by jealousy. Everywhere 
where the exigencies of his position made it his 
duty to present himself with the ambassadress, 
everywhere he encountered material for this terrible 
passion. The admiration which this beautiful creat- 
ure excited, the constant triumph which accom- 
panied her steps, was for him a subject of appre- 
hensions, of suspicions, of tortures. 

Najeska Ivanowna was the only daughter of the 
Prince of Narish, a lord possessing large estates on 
the borders of the Black Sea. Becoming a widower 
almost immediately after the birth of his daughter, 
this man, as learned as distinguished, consecrated 
himself entirely to the education of this dear little 
creature. In order the better to acquit himself of 
this sacred mission, he fled from the large cities, 
and he, the inveterate gambler, did not hesitate to 
shut himself up in these vast solitudes. Having 
promised himself to give the child a brilliant edu- 
cation, worthy of the exalted position which was 
reserved for her, he surrounded her with teachers 
as skilful as enlightened ; St. Petersburg and Paris 
furnished him with some who had been warmly 
recommended to him. 

A skillful horsewoman, the young princess could, 
without fatiguing herself, make twenty leagues on 
horseback, neither more nor less than a cavalry 
officer. Gymnastics and dancing found in her a 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


33 


pupil as bold as indefatigable. The exercises of the 
body were not the only ones to which she applied 
herself with delight ; ancient and modern literature, 
the most abstruse sciences, had nothing of conceal- 
ment for this mind, as great as the vast nation which 
she inherited; she spoke correctly five or six lan- 
guages which seemed to be natural to her; in a 
word, this daughter of the air, this independent, 
had all the talents which is exacted to-day from the 
best educated young ladies. She possessed, more 
than all, the wild and fragrant beauty of the superb 
women of Caucasus. 

Although having grown up far from the world, in 
the midst of the vast steppes and infinite vestas of 
lands, almost boundless, of her father, she created, 
from her first appearance in the capital of Caucasus, 
an immense sensation. She was barely seventeen 
when the Prince of Narish presented her at court. 
From that time a multitude of admirers came to 
offer their homages on the altar erected to this en- 
chantress. The list is open. To whom will this 
delicate hand, so recherche decree the palm of 
victory? All eyes are turned toward her— each 
waits, and waits in vain. 

After a season passed in the capital, the Prince of 
Narish went in the spring with his daughter to 
establish himself at Nice for some weeks. The 
young princess met there the Count of Heiligenthal, 
belonging to one of the most ancient and proudest 
families of Thessaly, standing very well at court, 
but who served in the army of the Emperor of the 
Danube, neighbor of the King of Thessaly, his 
mother being a Danubian, and he was the heir of 
her brother, an old Hungarian noble without chil- 
dren, possessing a large fortune. 


34 


BER ROYAL LOVER. 


Najeska Ivanowna fell in love immediately with 
Heiligenthal, with whom she danced at all the balls ; 
what more was necessary for this young heart? 

Although she knew that her father destined her 
for the Prince of Mineleko, a man nearly forty years 
old, already occupying an exalted position, and who 
had been appointed ambassador to the capital of 
Flanders, some promises were quickly exchanged 
between her and Heiligenthal. The idea of this 
marriage arranged between them was kept secret ; 
no one knew of it, not even the families interested. 

All, until then, seemed to go according to their 
desires ; but who can count on happiness here below? 
Upon his return in the world, the Prince of Narish 
resumed his gambling habits. A great number of 
his evenings were passed at the baccarat-tables of 
some of the prominent clubs of Nice. He had al- 
ready met with some heavy losses ; it was an ad- 
monition, he realized it, for each time he promised 
himself to extricate himself from this terrible pas- 
sion ; but each time he was more violently carried 
away by it. 

One evening, notwithstanding the animation of 
the play, and although he was winning, the prince 
appeared more anxious than ever; the unhappy 
man comprehended that he was upon the brink of 
an abyss- in which all was going to be ingulfed ; his 
fortune and that of his daughter. He wished to 
withdraw ; vain efforts ; he was nailed to this place 
by an invisible power. All changed ; by some hazard 
of the cards the entire fortune of the prince passed 
into the hands of his adversary ; desperate, he resisted 
still this inconstant goddess, who, deaf to his wishes, 
dragged him in a deeper precipice, for, this time, 
his home will remain there if in twenty-four hours 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


35 


this debt of play, this sacred debt, is not entirely 
paid. 

One man alone can save him : it is Mineleko. The 
prince knows it — he confides his misfortune to him. 
A telegram calls him quickly to him. 

The ambassador promises to pay at once, but on 
one condition ; he shall be the husband of the beau- 
tiful Najeska Ivanowna, whom her father had al- 
most promised him the preceding year; but the 
young girl had always hesitated to accept this 
match. Mineleko, moreover, was completely igno- 
rant of the secret engagement with Waldemar. Did 
he even know that there was a Waldemar de 
Heiligenthal in the world? 

Although terrified by the despair of her idolized 
father, the unhappy Najeska Ivanowna still hesi- 
tates, however, to make the sacrifice of her happi- 
ness. A struggle arises in her heart between the 
love which she has for her unfortunate father and 
that which she has sworn to the elect of her choice ; 
but the remembrance of the tenderness, of the de- 
votion of Narish, the tears which she sees him shed, 
prevails at last ; she immolates herself. She will be 
forever unhappy, but she will have saved the honor 
of her well-beloved father ! 

The sacrifice, however, is not consummated ! How 
to make Heiligenthal acquainted with the truth? 
One means remains perhaps to her — to tell him all ! 
But will not that confidence debase in the eyes of 
Heiligenthal this father whom she desires that all 
should venerate? What to do, then? She throws 
herself in despair on the neck of the Prince of 
Narish, telling him all, and imploring him to write 
to Waldemar that an important reason had just 


36 


HEB ROYAL LOVER. 


placed an insuperable obstacle to the realization of 
their marriage. 

Heiligenthal, raving, wounded to the quick, ac- 
cuses poor Najeska Ivanowna: “It is cupidity, the 
desire of honors, the expectation of finding a richer 
husband, which make her act so odiously!” He is 
determined to avenge himself; but this unhappy 
one, who had loved his fiancee with all the violence 
of a heart still young, had presumed too much on 
his strength. Shocked by this unexpected blow, he 
was seized with a grave malady which nailed him 
on a bed of suffering. During some weeks, he 
hovered between life and death. 

Did he forget, during the months in which circum- 
stances kept them far from each other? 

Alas ! no— never a minute passed that he did not 
think of this lost treasure, and lost without hope. 

Of an irresolute mind, a heart without great prir... 
ciples, Waldemar had yet had one profound sensa- 
tion in his life: the sincere love which he had 
devoted to Najeska of Narish. This love of his 
heart and of his senses, ought we not to say — 
especially of his senses— would it have vibrated 
again for her if fate had unfortunately not decreed 
that she should come to the Court of Thessaly? 
That is what we cannot positively say. The daz- 
zling apparition of this superb woman was always 
like a magnetic commotion which traversed the 
mind of this feeble man, having never known how 
to subdue any of his passions. 

This charming cavalier, this unprincipled Love- 
lace, accustomed to easy conquest, believed that he 
could easily overcome the scruples of the beautiful 
Najeska ; listening, as we have said, only to the voice 
of his insensate love, he said to himself that this 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


37 


fascinating creature who had escaped him should 
belong to him, cost what it might. In order to fort- 
ify himself in this resolution, he sought to persuade 
himself that it was not only right, but also his duty, 
and that he could not forfeit it without failing in 
honor. From this time forward he thought of noth- 
ing else but the means which would facilitate the 
success of his enterprise. 

What became of Najeska, when, in the bloom of 
her nineteen summers, she married this serious man 
whom she esteemed without loving? What would 
be hereafter her existence, bound to that of a hus- 
band twenty years older than she, and who a long 
time since had already exhausted the cup of pleasure 
of an existence which she was still ignorant of and 
which she was eager to learn? 

Wholly new to the pleasures and the impressions 
of life, she wished to go, to roam, to enjoy every- 
thing, seeking to forget or to diminish the loss of 
this adored man of whom her heart was full, and of 
whom, even on the first days of her marriage, she 
had not ceased to think. 

But she was so young when she had loved him ! 
Before the age of twenty, the affections have not 
yet the strength which they assume when years 
come to confirm their character, and the love of that 
time is to that of later years only like the froth 
which ascends to the surface of the bubbling spring 
to the profound passions which then consume us. 

Gradually this memory, which she had believed to 
be indelible, was effaced. Great duties, the sacred 
duties of maternity alone occupied her heart ; that 
love which to-day would be sacrilege, she lavished 
upon the cherished heads of her two little twin girls, 
babies, who, ten months after her marriage, seemed 


38 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


born to enliven that fireside and bring to the mother 
the joys that the wife had sought in vain; for 
Najeska was not happy! And she would have 
asked, however, nothing better than to be so, if her 
husband had been less jealous, less suspicious! 

Notwithstanding the admirers which her beauty 
unceasingly attracted, notwithstanding the wicked 
tongues whose hatred endeavored to tarnish this 
star who eclipsed them, the young woman had re- 
mained faithful to the duties of the wife. 

At the epoch where our narrative commences, 
thirteen months of married life had passed over the 
heads of the Prince and Princess of Mineleko, whose 
primitive characters were scarcely modified. 

Notwithstanding the circumstances, Najeska 
Ivanowna, married, had remained that which we 
have seen her, a young girl — gay, lively, always 
covetous of the pleasures that her youth had not yet 
tasted. She was still the ingenuous child that Mon- 
sieur de Mineleko had married. 

On the contrary, the prince experienced the effects 
of the very difficult politics which, in these later 
days, agitated entire Europe ; his disposition, instead 
of becoming more genial at the contact of those 
three beings who adorned his home, only became 
more peevish and morose. 

Unconscious of the love that Heiligenthal had en- 
tertained for the princess, Mineleko suffered, how- 
ever from a fixed idea. 

This child that he had married, whom he ardently 
loved, could care nothing for him, man of an already 
mature age, with the black and correct whiskers of 
an advocate, with shaven lips covered by short blue 
hair. 

He fully realized that he possessed no remarkable 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


39 


attractions, nothing of that physique of early youth 
which always produced such an impression on 
young girls just out of boarding-school ; thus, all 
these men, some more beautiful than others, and 
hovering around his dear Najeska Ivanowna, his 
light, his life, kept his uneasy nature alert. 

How many scenes of jealousy, having no other 
origin than a multitude of chimeras which nis 
watchful imagination had been ingenious to suggest 
to him, had not the poor Najeska already undergone 
for a whole year ! 

Recalled to reason by this woman whose eminent- 
ly upright character gave an explicit denial to his 
injurious suspicions, Mineleko invariably recognized 
his errors, and always, after having acknowledged 
them, this ferocious Othello humbly implored a 
pardon which he wished henceforth to merit by a 
devotion and a confidence without limit. 

Najeska, listening only to her generous and in- 
dulgent heart, forgetting all in presence of the grief 
of this really unhappy man, whom she threatened, 
however, sometimes to leave — she and her babies, 
with whom she would go and live on her estates by 
the Black Sea, which now belonged to her, the Prince 
of Narish having died from an attack of apoplexy, 
eight days after the marriage of his daughter, a 
sacrifice that had become useless. Destiny alone 
deals such blows ! 

Mineleko, always uneasy, always suspicious, was 
watching, if not to say spying, on his young wife ; 
his role near her was really that of a detective. 

Until their arrival in Thessaly, nothing had oc- 
cured to seriously justify his suspicions, for this 

duel with H , in Flanders, was too clearly an effect 

of the jealousy of the prince not resting upon any 


40 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 

serious foundation save that Najeska had com- 
plained that H was too amiable for her. But at 

present, this shadow, which haunted him without 
reason, assumed a body which arose more distinctly 
each day : it was the shadow of the king — of the 
king, subjugated, fascinated by the princess— his 
wife! 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


41 


CHAPTER V. 

THE JEALOUS HUSBAND. 

Madame de Mineleko, Najeska Ivanowna, had 
never been able to discard the habit which in her 
youth she had acquired in the steppes of her father. 
For her to mount a horse every day was a need, a 
necessity, a happiness. Her husband generally ac- 
companied her on her rides ; but if the ambassador, 
detained by any reason, could not do so, she went 
without him, and followed by a groom, surrendered 
herself entirely to this pleasure, one of the few 
which had remained to her. 

Now the day after the one on which the prince 
had been officially received by the king, and on 
which the king, being a widower, had come to the 
hotel of the embassy to call upon Madame le 
Ambassadrice*, his majesty had encountered them 
taking their ride. Was it chance afterward which 
each morning found the king upon the route of the 
prince and princess? At first Mineleko endeavored 
to stifie the jealousy which, anew, consumed his 
heart ; but after this great betrothal ball, where, in- 
fatuated by the beauty of the new ambassadress, 
which he saw for the first time in all the splendor of 
a festive toilet, the king had neither suppressed nor 
concealed the intense attraction that this woman 
exercised over him. The ambassador said to him- 

♦According to the etiquette of the court an ambassadress must al- 
ways receive the first visits of a king who is a widower, whereas it 
is she who would be obliged to make it to the palace if there was 
a living queen. 


42 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


self that this time his jealousy rested upon serious 
basis, for everybody, the most artless of the young 
girls as well as the most insignificant of the lieu- 
tenants, had remarked that which, during a whole 
night, had banished a sleep that his rankling heart 
sought in vain. Undoubtedly the king was desper- 
ately in love with the ambassadress. 

Charles Ferdinand of Thessaly, aged forty-five 
years, in all the heydey of his maturity, was a 
handsome man, whose prestige was still increased 
by his rank, for kings, queens, and princes appear 
always more beautiful than they really are. 

The next morning, when Monsieur de Mineleko, 
according to his custom, entered in the chamber of 
his wife, she, at the appearance of her husband, 
whose discomposed features sufficiently announced 
what struggles he had just undergone, saw well 
that a scene was about to burst forth. 

The sleep of Najeska Ivanowna had not been less 
disturbed than that of the prince. Her unexpected 
meeting with her first betrothed distressed her more 
than she wished to confess to him, for she had every- 
thing to fear from the well-known jealousy of her 
husband. For the present, that thought occupied 
her more than the remembrance of the attentions of 
the king, for that which disquiets, that which terri- 
fies, haunts the mind a great deal more than that 
which flatters and charms. 

‘‘Have you slept well?” asked Monsieur de Min- 
eleko, of his wife, whose lips coldly touched the 
brow which the ambassadress presented to him. 

“Admirably,” said she; “I was exhausted with 
fatigue.” 

“Fatigue resulting from all the coquetries with 
which you have bombarded the king.” 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


43 


Najeska Ivanowna, stupefied, looked at her hus- 
band. 

“It seems to me,” said she, haughtily, “that, be- 
fore the evident adoration of his majesty, I had no 
need to give myself much trouble to attract him!” 

An impudent remark that vexation drew from 
her. 

“Ah, you confess then that he is smitten with 
you?” roared the prince. 

“ Goodness ! are you going to commence again? Is 
this another foolish scene which I must undergo? I 
warn you, I had already a headache ; if you con- 
tinue you will give me one of those violent head- 
aches which annoy you so much and which you al- 
ways provoke. I pray you, then, to leave me.” 

In order to compel her husband to leave her 
chamber, Najeska Ivanowna violently pulled the 
bell-cord suspended near her bed ; her waiting-maid 
came immediately. At the entrance of this domes- 
tic, Monsieur de Mineleko, very sulky, and very dis- 
agreeable, returned to his office, where he vainly 
endeavored to conceal his pre-occupation from his 
secretaries, whom he kept near him in order to re- 
ceive the instructions which the ambassador might 
have to give them after the perusal of his dispatches. 

Najeska Ivanowna knew that until then the 
prince was ignorant of her secret engagement with 
Heiligenthal. And how would he have been able to 
know it? it had taken place at Nice. Besides, 
Heiligenthal, never having appeared in the capital 
of Caucasus, was unknown to the prince; chance 
alone, then, would have been able to inform him of 
it. But, undoubtedly, this secret was in the power 
of Ivan Alexandro witch, who was at Nice at the 
same time as Najeska Ivanowna, and seemed to 


44 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


have forgotten nothing of these circumstances. He 
remembered, indeed, the assiduous attention that 
Waldemar then paid to the beautiful princess — thus 
was it with a malicious pleasure that he had mys- 
teriously uttered that remark : ‘‘ Heiligenthal is 
here.” Now for the ambassadress, no more peace! 
The days, the hours would pass in trembling. What 
would in reality occur, if Ivan Alexandrowitch, in- 
tentionally or unintentionally, making the count the 
subject of conversation, should happen imprudently, 
in the presence of Mineleko, to divulge all those 
things which she kept so profoundly concealed in 
her heart? Happily the young grand duke would 
depart the next day after the betrothal ball, and 
thus her disquietude would be dissipated. 

An hour had scarcely flown since the ambassador 
had so abruptly left his wife, when two little 
knocks, discreetly rapped on his door, made him 
raise his head. It was GJascha, the princess’ 
chambermaid, who, sent by her, came to ask the 
prince if he would not like to come and take a ride 
with her, on this beautiful spring morning. 

Besides his jealous temperament, Mineleko had 
also a peevish, morose disposition. He was furi- 
ously angry at his wife for having, that very morn- 
ing, so carelessly dismissed him from her chamber. 
It was, then, in a surly tone that he responded : 

“ Tell Madame la Princess that, having no desire 
to go out, she will be obliged to remain or ride 
alone.” 

But the waiting- woman had scarcely gone than 
Mineleko, his soul consumed by fury, said to himself 
that he had really been very awkward in thus allow- 
ing Najeska Ivanowna to go out alone; it was him- 
self, and not her, that he punished, in putting the 


heu royal lover. 


45 


trump cards in the game of his wife, who, free, would 
not fail to meet her adorer ; this accursed king, who, 
without doubt, would find himself as usual on her 
road. 

Alone, inhaling with delight the spring air all im- 
pregnated with the odor of the fiowering chestnuts, 
the hedges of white hawthorn and wild roses, she 
would allow herself to be borne along by the rapid 
strides of her horse, far from him, far from their 
children; while he, and by his own fault, remained 
alone munching his anger in this room where he 
was suffocating. 

The constraint which he imposed on himself ren- 
dered him more furious, for his blind jealousy 
showed him a thousand chimeras, some more impos- 
sible than others ; at last, no longer containing him- 
self, he threw aside passionately the dispatches to 
which he was about to respond ; there remained to 
him still more time than he required for the evening 
courier, and, giving orders to saddle “Vengeance” 
immediately, his superb Arabian horse, in less than 
a quarter of an hour, without being followed by any 
one, not even a groom, he rode in the direction of a 
little woods where he knew Najeska Ivanowna was 
in the habit of riding, mounted on “Reverie,” a mag- 
nificent English mare. 

The morning is radiant. The sky, of a pale tor- 
quoise blue, is cloudless. When he arrives in the 
solitude of the forest, the flocks of birds throw their 
light trills from branch to branch. Upon the petals 
of the little wild-wood flowers, the dew sparkles like 
the facets of diamonds. The sod is enameled with 
daisies and buttercups; the wild strawberry and the 
violet mingle together under the taller plants. A 
delicious odor exhales from the vernal earth. Even 


46 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


this constantly vexed character is appeased and re- 
laxed in this revival of nature. 

Suddenly, in the distance, he sees the little English 
groom of his wife bent over his large horse. He 
recognizes this British profile with the hair neatly 
parted on the back of his head under his high hat, 
and the red neck enclosed in a stiff collar. As he 
approaches, he perceives that before this domestic 
there are two persons on horseback. A cavalier 
near an elegant and handsome Amazon. Who are 
they? At this distance he cannot distinguish. Sud- 
denly he starts. This woman with the slender form 
and superbly-developed bust, it is Najeska Ivan- 
owna, it is his wife ! He has recognized her ; it is 
she ! everything tells him so. That red flower fast- 
ened to her corsage, that pinked-out pocket on the 
breast of her costume, from which a little cambric 
handkerchief escapes, are so many indications which 
cannot deceive him; moreover, his heart, his jeal- 
ousy have spoken. It is she ! 

The cavalier and his companion penetrate farther 
and farther into the thick coppice-wood of the 
forest ; soon they disappear entirely. 

“Where are they going?” 

This thought tortures the unhappy husband. He 
will know, he must know. 

He incites Vengeance — he becomes unmaneagable ; 
but instead of taking the path followed by the 
solitary couple, he enters into a parallel road. Sud- 
denly, his eager eyes, which peer through the forest, 
perceive the two riders who have stopped under the 
tufted branches of an oak. 

The cavalier who escorts Najeska Ivanowna is 
not the king !— it is a young man that the reader has 
without difficulty recognized— it is Heiligenthal. 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


47 


When and where has the ambassador seen this 
figure which has left only vague recollections in his 
mind? He considers, but in vain. Suddenly he 
recollects. It is that young man who was convers- 
ing with his wife when, on the evening before, he 
was looking for her at the court ball. 

Still another suitor! Who can this one be? It is 
very necessary that he should know. 

The young man was speaking with great anima- 
tion to his beautiful companion, and if Monsieur de 
Mineleko had been less jealous, he had easily been 
able to observe that the princess was listening to 
this passionate Borneo with much more fear than 
love. 

Although having been very much smitten with her 
first betrothal, ISTajeska Ivanowna had never had for 
him a passion as profound as that which her extra- 
ordinary beauty had inspired in the heart of Heili- 
genthal. 

Undoubtedly, she had loved him a great deal, but 
it was because he loved her so much ! Her love for 
him, if one may say so, had sprung from his ; but, 
since she was in Thessaly, had not the king, so 
seducing, inspired in her a more lively, a more seri- 
ous admiration? Alas! the young woman would not 
have dared to confess it ; she did not realize clearly 
her own sensations, but she felt that, unknown to 
herself, the thought of Charles Ferdinand absorbed 
her entirely. Waldemar was no longer anything to 
her. 

But, however, what anguish had she not experi- 
enced when, at that time, she bad been obliged to 
make for her father the sacrifice of her marriage 
with Heiligenthal ! 

This morning, while Mineleko was observing 


48 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


them, Waldemar was endeavoring by all the force 
of his eloquence to rekindle under the lash of his 
impetuous desires, the tenderness which he had 
formerly created in the heart of this woman. But 
more unskillful than intelligent, he did not perceive 
that in tormenting this choice nature he bruised a 
proud and tender heart, that gentleness and prayers 
might perhaps effect, but that menaces, reproaches 
and compulsion would render invulnerable. 

Najeska Ivanowna lashed nervously the leaves of 
the trees which surrounded her, while listening to 
Waldemar, whose conversation awakened in her the 
gloomy remembrance of the time when her greatest, 
her only happiness was to be near him — him — the 
husband of her choice. 

Mineleko did not comprehend that which was 
passing in her heart ; he took for a guilty confusion 
the regards which she averted from the young 
man. 

She loved! — but who? — this one. or the king? 

During the time that the ambassador was observ- 
ing everything, the red flower that the princess 
wore in her buttonhole became unfastened and was 
just falling to the ground. The young man dis- 
mounted from his horse, feverishly, picked up the 
carnation already half -faded by the warmth of the 
young woman’s body, and covered its petals with 
passionate kisses; then, showing ISTajeska Ivanowna 
this precious souvenir, he put it religiously in his 
pocket-book, probably not without uttering some 
commonplace phrase. 

‘‘What! she did not snatch from this man the 
flower which she ought not to let him retain at any 
price? Then, he pleased her! Ah! infernal co- 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


49 


quette,” thought Mineleko. ‘^And she considers 
herself pure !” 

Apart from this, nothing else of a serious nature 
transpired. 

Shortly afterward, the horses being somewhat 
rested, the riders went back and re-entered the city. 
In his suspicious susceptability, Mineleko remarked, 
however, that they separated on approaching the 
populous quarter of the Residence. 

Returned to the embassy, Najeska Ivanowna was 
not aware that her husband had gone out a short 
time after her. 

At breakfast, the prince questioned her about her 
ride. The princess responded evasively : “ that the 
weather was so fine, the atmosphere so pure that 
she had had a very agreeable ride;” but she did not 
say one word about her encounter with Heiligenthal. 
This detail did not escape her husband. If she was 
innocent in deed and intention, why did she con- 
ceal it? 

If he had asked her the question, could she not 
have responded : “ If I do not speak to a man whom 
I have met, is it not because that every allusion of 
this nature leads unceasingly to storms which my 
fatigued nerves can no longer endure?” 

Thus the most trivial things engender in this 
brain, always on the alert, a grave suspicion which 
everything conspired to establish. 

On this very afternoon, the ambassador repaired 
to the palace; he had obtained of his majesty a 
private audience, in order to communicate to him 
some dispatches from the country which he repre- 
sented. 

Received with great deference, he was obliged, 
however, to wait a moment until the king was at 


60 


BER ROYAL LOVER. 


liberty to receive him. It was during this short in- 
terval that he overheard the following conversation, 
held on the balcony on which all the lower apart- 
ments of the palace opened. 

Hop, Praslinihop, Chviseul!’ Madame du Barry 
has said,” cried a bantering voice ; ‘‘I— Isay: hop 
the king! hop Heiligenthal!” 

‘‘And for what reason do you say that?” responded 
another voice. 

The drawing-room in which Mineleko was, was 
generally empty, and the two indiscreet persons 
who spoke thus supposed that it was impossible for 
them to be overheard. 

“For two reasons: at first, on account of the 
striking sensation produced upon the king at the 
sight of the lovely Ambassadress of Caucasus, and 
afterward because of that time when she was said 
to have been the affianced to Heiligenthal. She 
only married the other one, it appears, in order to 
save her father. Is it true? Is it false? I know 
nothing of that I A balloon that I threw in the air I 
Answer me : which of the two champions will first 
succeed in attaining the good graces of the prin- 
cess?” 

Mineleko was terribly shocked by this revelation — 
for, hitherto, he had not been aware that his wife 
had ever been engaged before he had asked her in 
marriage — he was about to rush forward to see who 
dared to hold such a conversation, when the folding- 
doors of the royal apartments opened : 

“The king!” 

Although terribly agitated, the prince immediately 
became again the polished, cold, and correct diplo- 
mat that he was esteemed at his court. 

The diplomatic affairs were discussed with such 


EEB nOTAL LOVEB. 


61 


presence of mind, and such sang froid, that the royal 
audience was terminated without King Charles 
Ferdinand XVIII having been able to remark the 
least weakness, the least pre-occupation in the mind 
of the ambassador. 

“Apropos, mon prince,” said the monarch, on 
taking leave of him, “how is Madame V Ambassa- 
drice after her triumphs of last evening? Veni, vidi, 
vici ! was that not really so, upon her first entrance 
in the ball-room? Ah! you must be very proud of 
your wife, Monsieur V Ambassadeur.” 


52 


BEB ROYAL LOVER, 


CHAPTER VI. 

MUST SEE YOU ALONE.” 

In the encounter on horseback, surprised by Mon- 
sieur de Mineleko, between his wife and Heiligen- 
thal, this added still to the fear that her interview 
the day before at the court ball had inspired in 
Najeska Ivanowna. 

“You shall receive me alone, in private, at your 
house, or I will pay you, before everybody, such 
attentions that your husband will be obliged to seek 
a quarrel with me,” the young man had repeated to 
her twenty times. 

Najeska Ivanowna knew Heiligenthal ; she knew 
that his obstinacy and his determination fully 
equaled the jealous and suspicious character of her 
husband. 

Dear me ! dear me ! what would be the result of 
all this? What could she do to extricate herself 
from this painful and dangerous situation? Confide 
in a madman like her husband? It was not to be 
thought of; that had been to precipitate herself 
head first into the abyss. To refuse squarely, ener- 
getically, to receive Waldemar on the conditions 
which he had imposed on her, that was to provoke 
him to make some coup d'etat. On whatsoever way 
she turned, the poor princess saw misfortune hover- 
ing over her. 

Was he not capable of everything, this count 
who, when the Prince of Narish had demanded 
them by writing, had affirmed that he had destroyed 


HEB ROYAL LOVER. 


63 


all the letters of his young fiancee. She had had 
faith in his pledged word, and here only the other 
morning he had shown them to her intact — happily 
before her husband encountered them — these letters 
in which she had so constantly ridiculed “the” other 
suitor, Mineleko, and sworn to him — to him, Walde- 
mar — an eternal love. An imjprudence for which 
she would have to pay dearly, by a whole existence 
of terror and remorse! The inexperience of the 
young girl who, with the indiscretion, the confidence 
of her age, delivers her innocence, her reputation, 
the happiness of an entire life, to the mercy, to the 
discretion often of the vainest and most indelicate 
of men. 

When she accepted the hand of Mineleko he had 
royally acquainted her with his jealous and passion- 
ate character ; he had entreated her to refuse his 
offer if she had ever loved another, and, terrified by 
the idea of all the consequences that her refusal 
would involve, moved also by the tenderness of her 
heart, she was afraid of wounding this man, whom 
she felt loved her so profoundly, and she concealed 
the truth from him ! Alas ! where had this pious lie 
led her; in what a terrible labyrinth does she not 
find herself, and how can she ever get out of it? 
One alone of these letters, written to her first fiance 
and sent by him to her husband, and all is* over for- 
ever with her happiness and with that of her 
children ! 

Najeska Ivanowna had entreated Heiligenthal to 
come and see her as an ordinary visitor, at her 
customary hour in which she received at the em- 
bassy. 

“ I will come when you please, only, swear to me 
that, being with you, no one will disturb our inter- 


54 


SEE ROYAL LOVER, 


view. I desire that we may be alone, absolutely 
alone.” 

“ Bless me ! that which you ask does not altogether 
depend on my will; I cannot promise you it. I will 
do all I possibly can to be agreeable to you, but I 
cannot pledge myself to anything. Suppose that a 
fortuitous circumstance should arise, that an unex- 
pected visitor should present himself, that my hus- 
band, to whom I cannot refuse my door, should wish 
to enter ” 

“Oh, as to that, I oppose that myself; I being 
present, that man will never cross the threshold of 
your apartment. All the circumstances which may 
happen, you will arrange as you please, but I must 
see you alone. Do not object that you cannot; I 
will not believe it. If you wish, you will succeed in 
it. Nothing is impossible to the woman who loves. 
In abandoning me, you have not only ruined my 
life, but also my career, my future. Without your 
knowing it, I sent in my resignation in order not to 
leave you at Nice, for I was recalled to the army 
and I was obliged to go. Ah ! I astonish you — but, 
however, it is true ! I did it without hesitation, al- 
though I know that in acting thus I lost at the same 

time the heritage of my Uncle D , the Danubian 

count, my mother’s rich brother, for it was at his 
request that I had taken service in his country.” 

The Count de Heiligenthal, like many young peo- 
ple of noble families of the little neighboring king- 
doms of the Danubian Empire, served in the 
Danubian army. 

That which he related was true. After his severe 
illness, being without a situation, he had found 
employment in the administration of the Thessalian 
domains. That is why he was at present in the 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


55 


capital, while Najeska, who did not even suspect his 
discharge, believed him still at the Danube. 

“Have I murmured, however, a single instant, 
when your love was to me a sweet compensation for 
all my sacrifices?” passionately continued the young 
man. “ To-day I want an imdemnification for this 
everlasting love that you have sworn to me and that 
you have violated. Is it too much to demand as the 
price of your cruel treason, to receive me alone, all 
alone, though it were only once? There in a private 
interview with you, I will acquaint you with all the 
tortures that you have infiicted on me, and under the 
weights of which I sink crushed.” 

In his ferocious and indifferent egotism, Heiligen- 
thal did not even suspect the torments, the anguish 
that this passionate cry might inflict on this woman 
whose only wrong was to have loved him. 

The attitude of Waldemar, however, was so de- 
spondent that Najeska Ivanowna, at the age where 
all in us is kindness and indulgence, did not think 
of being offended at so many unjust reproaches, so 
many exactions. Ignorant of life, of its trials, of its 
sorrows, she was afraid. Of an essentially loyal 
and upright nature, she realized well that it was as 
impossible to refuse as to grant this rendezvous. 
The only thing which remained in her power, was 
postponement, delay; she was obliged to let him 
hope, in order to gain time. If only she had been 
able to confide all to her husband, to hope for his 
support, his counsels! But no! there is only one 
danger the more. She had not forgotten that it was 
only a few months since that she had found herself 
in a similar situation. What had been the price of 
her confidence, of her abandonment? 

The enraged husband, listening only to his anger, 


56 


EEB ROYAL LOVER, 


had immediately sought a quarrel with a young 
attachee of the embassy in the capital of Flanders ; 
a duel had followed, in which Mineleko had killed 
the diplomat. She recollected the terrible excite- 
ment, followed by a frightful trembling which had 
seized her, when her husband, re-entering, had said 
to her : “ Thou shalt be avenged ; after to-morrow, I 

will kill H ” Oh ! no, no ! never would she have 

the courage to renew, to support, those accursed 
days; those nights of terror, those hours of agony 
which had preceded the combat. The very remem- 
brance of them awakened in her a thousand fears. 
An inexpressible uneasiness, an invincible horror 
took possession of her when she thought of all that. 
The mental disturbance, precursor of the insanity 
which had then stricken her poor brain, weakened 
by all these cruel pre-occupations, violently recom- 
menced. She did not cease to address to herself to- 
day the same reproaches which she had reproached 
herself with then. 

Was she any better than an assassin? Was it 
not she who had caused the death of this young and 
handsome creature who was entering carelessly and 
happily into life? By her indiscretions, by her need 
of complaining, should she expose again the exist- 
ence of two men? But to what was she then 
destined?” Then she reflected how much irony 
there often is in circumstances ! How in life, the 
simplest, the most frivolous things jostle often very 
closely the gravest events ! Oh ! if she could only 
leave Thessaly— depart for a distant country ! But 
Heiligenthal, would he not follow her? 

Such were the painful thoughts which beset her, 
when a visitor was announced to her ; it was Wal- 
purga de Heiligenthal, Waldemar’s sister. 


BER ROYAL LOVER, 


67 


CHAPTER VII. 
heiligenthal’s visit. 

We have said that the young Countess Walpurga 
de Heiligenthal was the friend, the companion of 
the Princesses of Thessaly ; she had been presented 
the evening before to the Ambassadress of Caucasus. 

This young girl, together with the daughter of the 
grand mistress of ceremonies of the Thessalian 
Court, the worthy Countess le Langweilig, shared 
the duties of ladies of honor to the royal prin- 
cesses. Walpurga was the favorite. Pretty, ob- 
stinate, amusing, she diverted the princesses by 
her witty and mischievous sallies ; while the 
old maids of the grand mistress of ceremonies, 
(alas they had both been on the old maid’s list 
for a long time!) had, thanks to the education 
given by their mamma become such extinguishers 
that Walpurga, in her mocking nature, said 
that she was astonished to see that the lamps 
and candles remained lighted when these two auto- 
matons appeared, very proper, moreover, but who 
were incapable of stirring only when set in motion 
by the maternal strings. Ah, one could not jest 
with Madame de Langweilig, whose first principle 
was that, in order to be worthy of appearing at 
court, one could not be silent enough, nor immovable 
enough. Walpurga, she dared everything, said 
everything ; and that, although her heart was often 
very sad, for she did not advance in her love affairs. 

The young princesses had often spoken to their 
father of the ennoblement of Haller, making him, 


58 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


comprehend perfectly why they desired it so much. 
But his majesty did not seize the bait. 

Walpurga knew that her brother had had a little 
flirtation in Nice with Madame de Mineleko, but 
she was ignorant, however, that this marriage had 
been so near taking place. 

She came this day, sent partially by her brother, 
for at breakfast, when their parents had left the 
table, Waldemar had said to her: 

“Walpurga, thou desirest a title for him whom 
thou lovest ! Dost thou not perceive where is the 
power which could lead to this elevation?” 

Walpurga, at first, had not comprehended. 

“How very short-sighted thou art, then!” ex- 
claimed her brother. “ To whom did the king pay 
such assiduous attention, yesterday evening?” 

“To the new ambassadress.” 

“ Ah, well ! believe me, make an intimate friend of 
this young woman. Go and see her to-day, and if 
thou knowest how to profit by my counsel, I doubt 
not that thy wishes will be speedily realized.” 

Waldemar, in persuading thus his sister to this 
visit, was working as much in his own interest as 
in that of the young girl. During the night, kept 
awake by his thoughts, by his desires, he had made 
his calculations, erected his batteries. It seemed 
to him that it was absolutely necessary for the suc- 
cess of his projects, that he should have in the place 
some one on whom he could rely. Who better than 
a woman could even unconsciously assist him? Her 
very quality of a feminine creature would be a 
guarantee of security for Mineleko, whose jealousy 
and suspicions could not be awakened by the pres- 
ence of a friend of his wife. 

Now, Walpurga appeared to Waldemar the only 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


69 


proper person to fill well the mission which he was 
going to entrust to her. Thus, according to him, 
this young girl could by a little diplomacy obtain 
the ennoblement of her betrothed if the beautiful 
ambassadress would interest herself in it with the 
king, and by some questions asked adroitly by her, 
keep Heiligenthal au courant with the habits of the 
princess. 

Walpurga remained quite a long time with Najes- 
ka Ivanowna; they conversed on different subjects, 
skimming all lightly with wit and gayety, but by 
neither one was the name of Heiligenthal men- 
tioned. 

On the same afternoon, Waldemar came to pre- 
sent his homages to the princess. 

There were already several persons in the draw- 
ing-rooms of the embassy when he was introduced 
there ; this contretemps, so contrary to his wishes, was 
a relief to the terrors of the trembling Najeska 
Ivanowna, who did not apprehend anything as long 
as she was not alone with this rash young man. 
Notwithstanding his determination to weary every 
one by a visit prolonged beyond the limits of the 
most ordinary propriety, Waldemar was compelled 
to retire when, toward four o’clock, Mineleko, enter- 
ing in the drawing-room, came to remind the am- 
bassadress that some official visits, that could not by 
any pretext be deferred, demanded their attention. 

The princess, after having graciously dismissed 
her guests, to whom she expressed many regrets at 
being obliged to leave them, departed with her hus- 
band for the receptions at which they were ex- 
pected. 

On returning at home, her astonishment was 
great when she found on a piece of furniture in her 


60 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


chamber a letter from Heiligenthal, which had 
arrived during her absence. To remove it quickly 
was for her the work of a moment. What danger ! 
what imprudence for him thus to write her ! What 
would have happened if this missive had fallen 
into the hands of her husband, who, since their 
marriage, had always opened that which was ad- 
dressed to his wife? 

As soon as she was alone she anxiously broke the 
wax which sealed the envelope ; the contents were 
as follows : 

“ Since you refuse to receive me in private, I will 
come this evening after the departure of your hus- 
band for the banquet of the ministers. Desiring to 
leave you all the time that is necessary for your 
dinner, I will not be with you until toward nine 
o’clock.” 

Hardly had she finished perusing this short and 
insolent missive, than a great indignation, a pro- 
found contempt for the author of these few lines 
took possession of her. 

Thus, this man was cowardly enough, base 
enough, to expect that he would succeed by force ! 
What an opinion had he then of her? For whom 
did he take her? It was war, then, that he was 
declaring! Well, he shall see! By her disdain she 
would crush him in this struggle, and would make 
him yield. 

She approaches her secretary, hastily writes an 
invitation for a lady of her acquaintance, and, 
to be sure of her acceptance, she gives the order 
to harness up quickly and bring her immediately 
to the embassy, where she will dine and spend 
the evening with her. 

She felt calmer at the idea that a third person 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


61 


would be with her if Waldemar dared to execute his 
threat. At no price would she consent to receive 
him alone, as long as she knows him to be in the 
disposition of mind in which he shows himself. 

Without doubt the anger of this quick and pas- 
sionate man was to be feared, but for the moment, 
in the soul of Najeska Ivanowna revolt had gained 
the ascendency over every other sentiment, even 
over that of prudence. 

Madame de H , whom Madame de Mineleko 

had sent for, responded to the appeal of the princess. 

When Heiligenthal, his heart all swollen with 
triumphant hope, arrived in the presence of the 
ambassadress, at the sight of this lady he compre- 
hended the snare that Najeska had set for him. 

The violence of the opposition which he experi- 
enced was so great, that he believed he was suffo- 
cating. 

“Madame de H said the princess, presenting 

her guest to him ; “ one of my kind acquaintances 
who comes to keep me company when the prince is 
compelled to absent himself. It is so tedious to 
dine alone! Is it not so, count?” added maliciously 
the young woman on presenting her white hand to 
the well-entrapped Heiligenthal, who, according to 
the Thessalian custom, would place a kiss upon the 
long and slender fingers. 

Najeska Ivanowna was so indignant that a vivid 
flash of lightning shone in her eyes ; one could easily 
read there: “Never! dost thou comprehend perfect- 
ly? never against my will, wilt thou extort from me 
that which I only grant voluntarily.” 

For a moment, in the presence of this energetic 
woman, M/aldemar felt confused, ashamed. But 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


rage soon predominated over all the tumultuous 
sensations which arose in him. 

Is it thus, then, that she treats him? Then, no 
more scruples ! all means will be fair to him, and it 
will be war to the knife that he will undertake to 
attain his end. 

He clings to the hope, however, that perhaps 

Madame de H will retire before him. He waits, 

but in vain, for Najeska Ivanowna had in advance 
instructed her friend. 

Madame de Mineleko had rarely been so beauti- 
ful. The struggle which she was commencing, and 
from which she wished to come out victorious, pro- 
duced a brilliant color in her face, animated as 
much by indignation as by malice. 

Dressed entirely in a cloud of white lace, upon her 
breast bloomed a bouquet of magnificent tea-roses, 
come from the royal conservatories of Heligothek. 
The king had sent them with a respectful message. 


BER ROYAL LOVER, 


63 


CHAPTER VIII. 

AT THE BANQUET. 

A new torture was reserved for the suspicious 
heart of Mineleko ; truly, all seemed to conspire to 
make him uneasy. 

At the banquet of the ministers, presided over by 
the king, the prince, as a high dignitary, occupied 
one of the places of honor. Not far from him was 
seated the minister of fine arts, a man whose wit, 
often wicked, was very renowned. 

Suddenly the attention of the ambassador was 
briskly attracted by a piquant conversation ex- 
changed between the minister and his neighbor. 
He comprehended immediately that they were 
speaking of his wife : 

“Yes, she is so beautiful that our king has fallen 
in love with her, to such an extent that they 
say ” 

“That they say— what?” 

“That a second history, reversing that of Napoleon 
and Josephine, will soon be unfolded here. This 
time, it will be the beautiful ambassadress who will 
repudiate the legitimate husband to become Queen 
of Thessaly.” 

“ So, thou, buffoon ! To hear you, would not one 
always believe that all improbabilities may be real- 
ized?” 

“Pshaw! who lives will see!” 

These words were a thunderbolt for the tortured 
heart of the prince. Become pale as death, he was 
about to speak, to summon, to arrest the insolent 


64 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


fellow ! But etiquette, inexorable etiquette is there. 
Notwithstanding the indignation which wrings him, 
he is silent^ and covers his countenance with the 
impassable mask of the diplomat, always master of 
himself. 

‘‘Prince, how is the lovely ambassadress? Here 
is to her health !” And the king, making a gracious 
inclination of the head, extended his glass to Min- 
eleko. 

Mineleko responded automatically, similar to a 
maniken which, being accustomed to move, when 
the mechanism is wound up, stops no more, what- 
soever tumult may arise in it. 

It was true, then ; the king was really smitten 
with the princess! that young Count de Heiligen- 
thal, whom he had seen one morning, was un- 
doubtedly only sent by his sovereign. 

“Accursed king! Brute!” These two epithets 
are the only ones formulated by his thoughts, goaded 
by an idea whose certitude became each day more 
notorious. “Besides, what other would dare pay 
court to an ambassador’s wife,” thought Mineleko, 
thoroughly imbued with his despotical Caucasian 
ideas, “ when the monarch of the country is sighing 
for her. Ah! despicable king!” 

When, quite late in the night, Mineleko returned 

home, his wife had retired. Madame de 3 , well 

trained in the role which had been assigned to her, 
had departed, taking Heiligenthal with her, who 
had only yielded through the force of propriety. 

Najeska Ivanowna was not asleep when her hus- 
band softly entered her chamber. At the sight of 
the prince, the unhappy woman, fatigued by the 
struggle which she had just undergone, yielded to 
an impulse of nervous weakness, of despair. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


65 


“ Take me away, let us depart from here ; I pray 
thee! Let us leave forever this country of Thes- 
saly I” 

Cowering, pressed against the broad breast of 
Mineleko, the unfortunate woman seemed to seek 
there a refuge, a support. Her nerves, at last un- 
strung, left her no hope, whatever way she turned ; 
one alone should have remained to her: her hus- 
band. So it was in his arms that she threw herself, 
sobbing like a child escaped from a peril. 

Mineleko regarded her with stupefaction. What 
was the matter with her? Did she love the king? 
From whence came this fear? Why did she wish to 
flee? 

The ambassador was too severely bitten by jeal- 
ousy to think of being tender, of being kind. He 
was awkwardly cold and constrained, and on this 
day, when it might have been so easy to win forever 
the confidence and affection of his young wife, he 
himself laid the first foundation of his misfortune. 

Wounded by the attitude of her husband, poor 
Najeska Ivanowna, feeling that she could neither 
confide nor depend on him who ought to be her 
support, her friend, uttered a profound sigh, and, dis- 
couraged, she let herself fall on her pillows. All 
was over I Alone ; what was going to become of 
her? to whom should she cling now? 


66 


EER ROYAL LOVER. 


CHAPTER IX. 

THE OPIATE. 

Three weeks had already elapsed since the arrival 
of the Prince and Princess of Mineleko in the capital 
of Thessaly. By dint of tact and skill, Najeska 
Ivanowna had hitherto succeeded in holding young 
Heiligenthal in check. 

One evening that, meditative, she was alone in 
her chamber, the princess felt herself suddenly in- 
vaded by a great pre-occupation, a profound dis- 
quietude. The day had been oppressive, a burning 
sun had darted rays of fire upon the city ; and this 
evening the atmosphere, completely charged with 
electricity, announced a tempest that great black 
and copper-colored clouds rendered imminent. 

Poor Najeska Ivanowna was not suffering alone 
from the influence of nature ; that which she ex- 
perienced was more moral than physical. 

The attentions of Heiligenthal were becoming 
more importunate than ever. The unhappy woman 
was obliged to confess it to herself ; she would be 
soon at the end of her resources. The young man, 
furious at the care which she took to avoid him, 
revenged himself by making her weep at home, 
over letters, some more passionate and compromising 
than others. What skill was displayed that none 
might fall into the hands of her husband ! 

Heiligenthal was doing everything to bring about 
an open scandal, wherein would be ingulfed at one 
stroke, the reputation, the happiness, the tranquillity 
of Najeska Ivanowna. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


€7 


In each letter he demanded as a right the rendez- 
vous which he had at first solicited ; to-day, weary 
of waiting, he threatened: “If you persist in re- 
fusing me, I will introduce myself, in spite of you, 
by night in your apartment.” 

“But no, ne\er,” said Najeska Ivanowna to her- 
self, “could he be so great a scoundrel!” 

Then, in order to penetrate to her, he must have 
means, and, at night, all the passages were locked 
or guarded. 

Alas ! would she ever have been able to believe 
that one day this man, whom she had loved so 
much, would be the source of her sorrows, of her 
cares ! 

Like the dark and cloudy night, the heart of 
Najeska Ivanowna was filled with gloomy presenti- 
ments. 

“Glascha,” said she to her maid, upon the eve of 
retiring, “ Glascha, is the window at the end of the 
corridor securely fastened?” 

“Hermetically, Madame la Princess.” 

Hardly had the waiting-maid gone, than Hajeska 
[vanowna arose, and glided furtively along the 
corridor. This window, overlooking the garden, 
made her really afraid. A resolute man, who by 
any means whatever, should introduce himself in 
the park, could, by making use of the ivy-covered 
trellis which was on that side of the house, ascend 
to it. After having assured herself that all was well 
secured, that no danger was to be apprehended, she 
returned calmer to her apartment. It was quite late 
in the night, however, that she decided to retire. 

She had so much to do during the day that it was 
necessary to encroach on her nights in order to find 
time for the thousand little nothings which are in 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


the province of a woman. The heat was depressing. 
She put on a long cambric dressing-gown and ap- 
plied herself to the task of filling up the gaps in her 
ordinary occupations. 

Toward eleven o’clock, according to his custom, 
her husband came to bid her good-night. 

“You are not going to bed yet?” said he. 

“No, my friend, I have a good many letters to 
write. And you?” 

“ I — I have had such a terrible attack of neural- 
gia, that I have had to send this evening for 
Geheimrath Schlotz (the court physician). To quiet 
me, he has just rubbed my temples with a chloro- 
form mixture, and has left me an opiate that I must 
drink immediately. I am going to bed then, and try 
to sleep. Go you to bed also, it is late, and you 
know you have promised the young princesses to 
accompany them early to-morrow morning on their 
equestrian ride.” 

Mineleko went away, not without having cast 
upon his wife a look full of mistrust. The unhappy 
man passed three quarters of his life in always sus- 
pecting. This horseback ride with the princesses 
made him very uneasy ; the king would certainly be 
with them ! Doubtless it was for that verv reason 
that he had not been invited. Thereupon his head 
commenced throbbing. 

Arriving in his chamber, Mineleko, really suffer- 
ing, took his potion and rubbed himself again with 
the chloroform mixture. Suffering intensely with 
the pain, he did not go to bed, however. Never had 
he felt so agitated, so incapable of sleeping, even in 
spite of the powerful soothing remedy with which 
he had anointed his forehead and the potion which 
he had taken. The idea of his wife wooed by the 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


69 


king, the remembrance of that morning in which he 
had seen her on horseback escorted by Heiligenthal, 
over-excited his nerves, and, more than his physical 
sufferings, banished from his heavy eyelids the sleep 
of which he had so much need. For him, on this 
sleepless night, hours succeeding hours, passed 
mortally slow. 

A profound quiet hovered over the embassy. Ex- 
cept himself, all were reposing peacefully. Nature 
seemed to invite him to a sleep by which alone he 
could recuperate from the fatigue which over- 
whelmed him; but the more profound was the 
silence, the greater also was the tumult of his pas- 
sions. 

His thoughts, similar to a light atom, were con- 
tinually tossed about by the surge of his so often 
contradictory sensations. 

Alone in the silence of the night he scrutinized the 
immense gulf of his agitated soul where anger, like 
a second life within his life, whirled unceasingly in 
the hell of his passions. 

W ithout, like a soul in torment, the tempest com- 
menced to moan. 

The sky, darkened by the wind, permitted here 
and , there its azure to be perceived, studded with 
pale stars whose brilliancy were diminished by the 
intensity of the darkness. 

From time to time, a cloud heavier than the rest 
separated like one divides a piece of cotton, and 
each scattered particle floated away, vanishing in 
the immensity of space. 

At equal intervals a dull rumbling was heard in 
the distance; a vivid flash of lightning left the 
horizon, precursor of a tempest that entire nature 
was awaiting. 


70 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


All was dark. Alone, the white disk of the moon 
in her first quarter permitted from time to time her 
silhouette to appear through the fleet of clouds. 

In spite of himself, Mineleko thinks of those de- 
scriptions of the Apocalypse, of those angels with 
unfolded wings, of those monsters, terrible hydras, 
of which the holy Bible gives a description. Truly, 
he is afraid. 

All these things clash together in his aching head ; 
he scarcely knows whether he is asleep or awake. 

His limbs, broken by fatigue, refuse their office ; 
the more active the mind, the more the body seems 
devoted to torture, to inertia. 

As in a harp, whose lightly stretched cords 
vibrate at the slightest contact of the fingers which 
press it, thus his hearing, marvelously developed by 
the sensibility of his over-excited nerves, is of an 
extreme delicacy. From his secretary a paper falls 
to the floor ; this noise, slight as it was, makes him 
start; a sudden and convulsive movement takes 
possession of him. 

It had been impossible for him to tell for how long 
a time this sort of lethargy had lasted, when it ap- 
peared to him that his door was opened, that a light 
and gliding step advanced toward him. 

Does he dream that a shadow holds a light raised 
above its head, or is it really some one who is before 
him? This woman, this vision, does she wish to 
assure herself that the prince is really asleep ? Is 
that a real sigh which he hears breathed there, near 
him, or does he still continue to be the sport of a 
dream? But, however, this sigh, so laden with 
sorrow, appeared to proceed from the oppressed 
breast of a woman. 

‘‘Najeska Ivanowna, perhaps?” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


71 


Where is he? What fantastic dream bears him 
to the realms of the unknown? 

Twice he believes to hear his name. This phrase 
has re-echoed near him : 

“Boris — Boris Michailowitch ! — are you asleep? I 
am afraid — the steps of a man have resounded in 
the garden — I pray you, awake !” 

His hearing, although acute, perceives nothing — 
the murmurs of the wind, playing in the window- 
curtains, is all that he hears. 

“ My God ! my God ! if I could awaken him ! But, 
no! he is as if thunderstruck. I tremble! What 
will become of me?” 

These words, wailed by a voice wrung with terror, 
these deep sobs, painfully escaping from a wounded 
heart, do not get beyond his physical sensations, do 
not reach his intelligence. Inert, the body stupefied, 
he lays stretched out, in an immovable leaden sleep. 

A minute passes, a sigh yet again fioats trembling, 
fearful! — the steps retrace again the road which 
they have already followed ; they withdraw — noth- 
ing more ! 

Although annihilated by the opiate, Mineleko, 
without rendering any good account to himself, 
vaguely asks himself if the voice which he has per- 
ceived is real, or whether he is under the influence 
of an halucination. 

“Where is he? — what has taken place?” 

Gradually the conception of life is completely 
extinguished. The anaesthetic effect of the chloro- 
form makes itself felt more and more; his brain 
grows dull, his eyelids close, his ideas become con- 
fused~he no longer thinks— he sleeps profoundly. 
But, however, by a will stronger than nature, his 


72 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


mind survives this numbness, remains alone awake, 
and acts still 


CHAPTER X. 

A HORRIBLE DREAM. 

However profound was the sleep of Mineleko, it 
was not able to resist a dull noise which re-echoed 
in the corridor scarcely an hour after he had fallen 
asleep. He trembles, he is agitated, he wishes to 
rise ; but his languid limbs refuse to serve him ; he 
falls back inanimate. In the troubled sleep which 
oppresses him, a dream, really a dream this time, 
takes possession of him. 

He is aboard a ship, it seems to him that in his 
head re-echoes every movement of the pitching and 
the rolling that the surge of the waves impress upon 
a vessel. 

It is like a jerking sound which, after a short 
pause, recommences more wearisome. 

Nevertheless the dream continues still to unfold 
itself. 

The vapor mutters, hisses, advances with all the 
rapidity of the engine. Its furnaces, propelled by 
an incessant fire, send a black and thick smoke that 
sputters in waves from the large high smokestack. 

Geometrical lines, plunging profoundly in the 
eddies of the waves, chase precipitately far from 
each other, leaving behind them a large and hollow 
furrow, edged with foam. 

In the east arises, soft and majestic, the light of 
the sun ; all is fiooded with it. The moon, with pale 
extinguished rays, descends slowly to the horizon ; 
the polar heavens still constellated with their in- 
numerable stars, sheds everywhere a magical en- 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


73 


chantment which plunges the soul in an indescriba- 
ble and melancholy reverie. 

“Here,” the great poet has said, “is fought the 
combat of day and night.” 

Mineleko, in the presence of this sublime spec- 
tacle, feels his chest, like the waves of the sea, 
alternately swell and subside. He contemplates, he 
admires ; subjugated he falls on his knees, and alone 
in the presence of God, he adores the Creator in His 
magnificent creation. 

Suddenly, similar to Our Lord, a woman advances 
on this sea, dragging after her the inanimate body 
of a man wounded to the death. This woman, with 
her hair fioating over her shoulders, is supernatural- 
ly beautiful. A large and white garment envelops 
her like a shroud from head to foot. Terror glitters 
in her haggard eyes ; the man whom she drags like 
painful burden is all stained with blood ; the glitter- 
ing rings which sparkle upon the hands of this 
vision, let you perceive the blackish red stains which 
cover her nervous and cold fingers. Is it she who 
has assassinated this man whose corpse seems 
riveted to her feet? 

Filled with horror, the ambassador regards her 
convulsively. 

From whence comes this unhappy wretch ? what 
is the crime of this man? what is his chastisement? 
what are his features? 

But that hair, so remarkable for its beauty, for its 
peculiar color, is that of his wife ! Those deep eyes, 
of a dark blue, those noble and proud features, now 
pale and rigid like a marble mask, belong indeed to 
Najeska Ivanowna. He utters a terrible cry. 
Frightened, breathless, he arises; his hair is glued 
to his temples, which are bathed in a cold sweat; he 


74 


MER ROYAL LOVER, 


examines himself, he feels himself. Does he sleep, 
does he sleep still? His terror is so great that he 
remains there, rooted to the same spot; his efforts 
are vain; he cannot shake off the deadly torpor 
which has invaded him. But it is a dream, a vision 
— nothing of that which he has seen is true — his 
Najeska Ivanowna! his idol — his love! 

Perceiving his face, that is reflected in a mirror 
opposite him, Mineleko realizes, perfectly, that he is 
now awake, and that he has just been the plaything 
of a frightful dream. He breathes. Suddenly an 
unusual noise is heard; something anomalous is 
happening. It is there — near him~within two steps 
— but benumbed, impotent he remains, nailed to his 
place. A sudden rage seizes him and chases away 
the last vestige of the anaesthetic. 

During a few moments almost completely lucid, 
he seizes a light, and hastily penetrates in the 
corridor, where he believes that he has recognized 
the noise of a step that they seek to dissimulate. 

Although his strength seems ready to abandon 
him, he rushes forward. Nothing I “He sees only 
the night, hears only the silence.” It seems to him, 
however, that a shadow arises, and, in less time 
than it requires to describe it, it disappeared by the 
window at the end of the corridor. This shadow 
has a body ; it is a man. Who is it, that would dare 
to penetrate at this hour, in his residence? He 
wishes to know, but the night is dark, he cannot 
distinguish anything; he counts upon his light in 
vain, which he holds in the expectation of discover- 
ing an indication, one alone, to put him on the track 
of the criminal ; but the wind, friend of the fugitive, 
blows out that last glimmer, and plunges him in pro- 
found darkness. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


75 


His head violently shaken by the annoyances of 
the day, by the terrifying visions of the night, and 
especially by this shadow which he believes to have 
seen fleeing in such a strange fashion, he wishes to 
run, to cry out, to alarm the house, but he cannot, 
he cannot ! If an assassin should rise before him, 
with a raised knife, he could do nothing, nothing ! 
he is so heavy, so benumbed. 

A strange weariness possesses him, instinct alone 
guides him, stumbling, to his chamber. There, in 
this half-sleep, one detail alone is impressed upon 
his chloroformed brain ; he has heard the old clock 
of the chateau strike one. 

He feels that he has an imperative duty to fulfill, 
but the chloroform has already caused new phantas- 
magoria! visions to arise, and he cannot recollect 
anything — he cannot recollect, and he falls back in 
his lethargic sleep filled with hallucinations. 


76 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


CHAPTER XI. 

IN THE STUDIO. 

The awakening of Mineleko was terrible, when 
on the next morning, he found himself completely- 
dressed, opposite his bed, which remained intact. He 
did not comprehend what that signified. What had 
happened to him then? Had he dreamed or had he 
been the unconscious spectator of that lugubrious 
scene? 

It is still early in the morning ; hardly half past 
six. 

One by one, all his recollections group themselves 
painfully in his thoughts. 

He had seen that window wide open and a shadow 
leap out of it. What being then, if not the king, 
would have been so audacious? Was not public 
opinion pleased to affirm that the monarch was in 
love with his wife? Monsieur de Mineleko uttered 
a cry of rage; undoubtedly, Xajeska Ivanowna has 
betrayed him. 

Ambition, future, honor, all crumbled before this 
horrible discovery ; for what can he do when his 
rival is a sovereign, the sovereign of the country to 
which he is accredited? If he refused to remain at 
his post, it would be necessary to send in his resig- 
nation, and then, would he obtain in exchange an- 
other equivalent to this? 

Until now he had always doubted, although sus- 
picious ; his confidence was so great in the loyalty 
of the princess that he had refused to believe that 
this woman with eyes so clear, so frank, could 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


77 


forget herself to the point of failing in her dignity 
of a wife, in her title of a mother ; but the undenia- 
ble reality was there; he had seen a man, this man, 
ashamed at being discovered, had fled; his flight 
alone betrayed him. “ Is it because one is king that 
one may permit oneself to take the wife of others?” 

He remains for a long time absorbed in these 
painful reflections; but, reconsidering, he recovers 
from the discouragement which invaded him. He 
said to himself, “that he the energetic man, must 
act, must watch, in order to acquire a certainty. 
He would learn if his wife was faithful, and then, 
no more offensive suspicions, no more injurious 
doubts. But, if she was culpable, his vengeance 
would be as great as the immensity of her guilt.” 

During the time that he remains thus absorbed in 
his reflections, it seems to him that he hears an un- 
usual running about, especially at this early hour. 
Doors were opened and shut, running steps were 
heard in every direction. Decidedly something is 
occurring. 

He rings violently. 

Vassili, his faithful valet, the same one who had 
served his father, appeared immediately. But in 
what a state !— his face is frightful, livid, unrecog- 
nizable. 

“ Monseigneur ! monseigneur ! Kassar— my brother 
—my poor brother, has been assassinated this very 
night! Not flnding him in his chamber and sur- 
prised at his delay, he so punctual in his duties, I 
have sought him everywhere, and I have at last dis- 
covered him in the garden, at the foot of the window 
of the corridor, stretched out dead, stark dead ! His 
visage was coated with a thick coating of mud ac- 
cumulated by the night’s rain ; his arms extended 


78 


■HER ROYAL LOVER, 


as if in supreme supplication, were already cold 
with the icy coldness and rigidity of death. Ah ! 
monseigneur — monseigneur ! what a loss for me !” 

This recital was often interrupted by the sobs that 
Vassili uttered. It was sickening to see the desola- 
tion of this old servant; Mineleko was himself 
stricken by it. 

However, notwithstanding the pity which invades 
his soul, his disquieted mind recovers itself ; he per- 
ceives that this dream, this hallucination which he 
had believed to be a chimera, is indeed a reality, 
and that shadow which he had believed to have 
seen spring out the window, takes a body in this 
corpse, which was appearing in all its austerity. 

All these reflections had been cruel, imprudent 
even, to tell to this unhappy brother. 

“We must immediately,” said he, “send for a 
physician and assure ourselves if all hone of life is 
really lost, then, at the same time they will inform 
the commissary of police of all those events, as 
astonishing as frightful. Wait, my poor Vassili, my 
poor fellow,” the prince kindly added, “here are 
some lines from me ; give this card to one of the 
valets, that he may run and deliver it as quickly as 
possible. 

Vassili, blinded by tears, choked by the sobs of an 
unlimited despair, went out staggering. 

Immemorable thoughts proceeding from those sad 
discoveries, were revolving in the mind of the 
Prince of Mineleko. So, he had really heard those 
sounds, in the passage, on the preceding night. It 
was then that the murder must have been com- 
mitted! Greatly agitated by all those ideas which 
incoherently succeeded each other, he leaves his 
apartment and goes to examine minutely the corri- 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


79 


dor which he regards as the theater of the scene. 
There is not a stain of blood which may justify his 
fears, his suspicions, nothing anomalous indicates 
that a struggle has taken place; only, in some 
places the carpet appears a little rumpled. 

After this inspection, the Prince of Mineleko re- 
pairs to the chamber of his wife. The hasty rap 
which he gives at the door awoke or appeared to 
awaken the ambassadress, who came herself to 
admit him ; for nearly always during the night, she 
kept herself locked in. 

Najeska Ivanowna was horribly pale. In a few 
hurried words, Boris Michailowitch related to her all 
that had transpired. On hearing the frightful his- 
tory of this dreadful night she uttered a terribe cry. 

“ Kassar ! our brave and faithful Kassar is dead ! 
— and was assassinated, moreover ! Oh, it is impos- 
sible! impossible! 

‘‘Assassinated or committed suicide. However, 
the commissary will be here in a moment ; he will 
perhaps solve for us this hideous doubt. But sud- 
denly the prince stopped, looking amazed at some 
stains of blood on the pedestal of a bust of the 
princess which was near the door of her chamber. 

“What is this?” demanded he of Najeska Ivan- 
owna. 

The ambassadress falters, starts. 

“This? Ah! I recollect; my nose bled last night, 
and it must have dropped on the marble.” 

But she trembles so violently while speaking that 
a frightful suspicion enters the heart of her hus- 
band. A strange instinct made him arise as if he 
wished to run to the wash basin and remove those 
stains. But he stopped on the way and recovered 
his icy coldness. 


80 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


“I advise you, madam,” said he, stiffly, “to wash 
that marble. The investigating magistrate and the 
police, when they arrive, will make undoubtedly a 
domiciliary visit.” 

The princess obeyed. Going to her toilet-table, 
she returned with a brush covered with soap. It 
was in trembling like a leaf that she accomplished 
her task, which fully succeeded. At the end of a 
few moments there remained no trace of the blood. 

Mineleko, almost as agitated as she, left the 
princess to repair to the corpse. Some minutes 
after, the commissary arrived, followed by a multi- 
tude of idlers, for, even at the residence, the curious 
abound and spring up everywhere when a sensa- 
tional event is in question. 

The rabble remained, to be sure, massed before 
the entrance door, which was closed upon them. 

“ Permit no one whatever from without to pene- 
trate either in the garden or in the palace,” said the 
commissary ; and to assure himself that his orders 
will be faithfully executed, he places police before 
all the exits. This arrangement of force and of pre- 
cautions was not unnecessary, for the crowd which 
was increasing continually, became difficult to re- 
strain. 

I, accompanied by a physician who had been 
hastily summoned, the commissary, by whose side 
Mineleko was at present walking, followed by nearly 
all the servants of the embassy, proceeded toward 
the chamber whither Vassili and several other serv- 
ants had carried their inanimate comrade. 

Kassar was extended on his bed ; a cloth piously 
thrown over the unfortunate victim, showed by its 
folds the rigid outlines of the corpse upon whose 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


81 


breast rested a Eussian cross, that the devout hands 
of his brother had placed there. 

The commissary and the doctor bent over the un- 
fortunate victim. 

“Some light!” said the physician, briefly; and the 
curtains, religiously closed, were immediately drawn 
aside. 

This first examination, very summary moreover, 
proved that the vertebral column had been broken 
as if by a fall, and that in consequence, death, 
which had set in for several hours already, had 
been sudden. 

“From this fact,” added the physician, “two 
hypotheses may be deduced. Either this man has 
thrown himself voluntarily out of the window, and 
we are in the presence of an ordinary suicide, or he 
has fallen out accidentally, unless he has been 
thrown out by a criminal hand, and then we have to 
learn who the murderer is and seek for him ; for if 
the cause escapes us, the effect is here undeniable, 
in all its horror.” 

At this accusation of suicide which was going to 
rest upon the memory of his brother, Yassili was 
indignant. 

“Never, no never, Kassar has never killed him- 
self!” cried he, as much afflicted as outraged. “My 
poor brother had too much faith, too much piety to 
commit such a crime. Ah ! doctor, if my brother 
has fallen from this window, some one has pushed 
him out, be convinced of that!” 

Yassili was still speaking when Mineleko, pale 
with that solemn pallor which covers the visage at 
the gravest moments of life, advanced toward the 
representative of justice and requested that he 
might be permitted to speak in his turn. 


82 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


“ This very night, with my own eyes, I have seen, 
or I believe I saw, a man leap out of that window ; 
but the night was so dark, the obscurity so intense, 
that I supposed that I was mistaken ; then the in- 
fluence of the chloroform, employed in the evening 
to alleviate neuralgic pains, was such that in spite 
of my will, it was impossible for me to act. I was as 
if annihilated.” Then briefly he related all that 
which had impressed him during this stupor impos- 
sible to subdue. 

The deposition of Mineleko was regarded by the 
commissary as very serious and very important who, 
not taking in consideration enough the anaesthetic 
condition of the prince during the preceeding night, 
considered it inexplicable that, even having only 
believed to have seen a man jump out of the win- 
dow, he had not aroused the whole house and made 
immediately the necessary researches in order to 
assure himself if he was really the sport of nervous 
excitement. All this seemed to him at least very 
strange, very astonishing, and perhaps he was 
going to communicate his reflections to the doctor, 
when the doctor suddenly exclaimed : 

“Look, then! but look then at that which I have 
discovered after a second examination of the body!” 

At these words, all eyes were anxiously directed 
on the hand of the physician who displayed the 
neck of the unfortunate Kassar. 

There they saw plainly the imprint of ten frantic 
Angers by which he had surely been strangled. 
Everybody remained silent in the presence of this 
new disclosure. 

“Sapristi ! a powerful hand has caused this death,” 
exclaimed the commissary. “ The unfortunate man 
must have passed from life to death without even 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


83 


having had the time to know where he was or how 
to utter a single cry!” 

“If these incontestable marks of strangulation 
have at first escaped my observation,” said the phy- 
sician, interrupting the tragic-comical exclamation 
of the commissary, “it was because my attention 
having been first concentrated on the breaking of 
the back, had prevented me from thinking of re- 
moving the cravat of the victim.” 

In fact, the corpse was still clothed the same as 
the commissary had found it on his arrival. 

No more uncertainty; Kassar had been strangled! 
That dull noise that Mineleko had heard, was that 
of his body dragged with difficulty toward the win- 
dow from whence the corpse had been thrown into 
the garden. The man whom the ambassador had 
seen leap out was then, incontestably, the murderer 
of his faithful servant. 

“There is not an instant to lose to inform the 
justice of peace,” said the commissary, “and also to 
take this report to court in order to entreat as quickly 
as possible the presence of the investigating magis- 
trate. For my part, while waiting for those gentle- 
men, I am going to proceed with a provisional in- 
quiry. Bring me the witnesses.” 

One of the first things to do, and what must be 
done moreover, is to search if it is yet possible to 
find and follow some traces of footsteps in the gar- 
den. But the storm during the night had inundated 
the garden and thus effaced all impressions. Im- 
mense pools of water were extended on all sides, as 
much upon the turf as upon the gravel, thus it was 
materially impossible to know whether the criminal 
had escaped or whether he must be sought for 
among the household. 


84 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


The whole morning passed lugubriously, excited- 
ly, at the embassy. 

The investigating magistrate arrived an hour after 
having been informed. 

The depositions of the witnesses so far interro- 
gated were incoherent, incomplete, without any 
definite result. There was little or nothing to be 
learned from that quarter. 

One of the nurses, however, who slept with the 
children in the upper story, had heard some noise 
and had even risen. She had gone to the door of 
Glascha, the chambermaid of the princess, whose 
room adjoined her own. But she had tranquillized 
her; their master, very passionate, very violent, 
often had scenes with their mistress, even during 
the night ; then he would fly into a passion, and for 
nothing he would utter the loudest cries. 

“ It is probably he that you heard, and Kassar, 
who sleeps on the ground floor, near the entrance 
door, watches so well that you have nothing to 
fear,” the chambermaid had added, endeavoring to 
quiet the nurse. 

Moreover, all had very quickly returned to the 
habitual calm. 

A Thessalian hostler, recently dismissed, gave 
some details still more precise about the passionate 
temperament of the prince. But there was nothing 
to extract from the Caucasian servants of the am- 
bassador, and the magistrate remained morally con- 
vinced, in his own mind, that Mineleko after having 
in a fit of rage strangled his old Kassar, had thrown 
the body out of the window, a suspicion, however, 
which he could not openly declare, the indications 
which he had being neither conclusive enough nor 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


85 


precise enough to enable him to formulate a regular 
file of accusation against Boris Michailowitch. 

When the interrogation of Glascha came, this girl 
compelled to make the sign of the cross, executed 
all sorts of contortions, then she fainted and had a 
long hysterical fit, during which some incoherent 
phrases, void of sense and words, escaped from her 
breast. This was all that they were able to extract 
from her. 

The Princess of Mineleko, questioned in her turn, 
responded that she had heard nothing of the assas- 
sination until the hour when her husband came to 
announce it to her that same morning. 

“ When and by whom has the victim been seen for 
the last time, either during the day or during the 
night?” demanded the magistrate. 

This point was difficult to unravel, to solve, 
Kassar sleeping alone down stairs. 

When, after their work completed, all the servants 
had ascended to their rooms, he also had gone to his 
chamber. And afterward, not a sound, not a cry, 
which could attract attention or require investiga- 
tion. 

No one, outside the prince and the nurse, had then 
seen or heard anything. 

The grave and compromising fact which had so 
strongly impressed the commissary (of Mineleko 
keeping quiet when he thought he had seen a man 
leap out of the window), struck the magistrate also. 
But all his suspicions were dissipated when the 
Geheimrath Schlotz, court physician, a man whose 
honor and integrity was known to all, called by the 
magistrate, affirmed to the two magistrates upon 
the faith of the most sacred oaths, that he had left 
an opiate with Mineleko and that before leaving 


86 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


him he had himself rubbed his temples with an 
anaesthetic mixture, whose lethargic symptoms de- 
scribed by the prince were really those which almost 
infallibly occurred after such a medication. 

In these circumstances, before this deposition of 
the prince of science, the recital of Mineleko be- 
came more probable and consequently they credited 
it. From that time, they thought no more of dis- 
turbing him about an event of which he had been 
the unconscious witness. 

Hardly was the first inquest terminated, than the 
prince and his wife repaired to the dressing-room of 
the princess. 

The young ambassadress was very much agitated, 
very much impressed with all that had just 
transpired, for she was sincerely attached to the 
poor old man. Throwing herself upon her couch, 
she appeared overwhelmed. She burst suddenly in 
convulsive weeping. Mineleko, very much fright- 
ened, immediately administered a soothing remedy. 
Notwithstanding the terrible suspicion which had 
entered his mind at the sight of those drops of blood 
on the pedestal of the statue, his heart was affected 
with an immense compassion at the sight of his 
wife’s sufferings. And she, did she believe her hus- 
band guilty of the crime? or had her subtle feminine 
instinct discovered that the suspicions of the magis- 
trate resting on him would create a dangerous situa- 
tion for her? 

The tenderness of Mineleko suddenly became cold 
and surly again. Najeska Ivanowna perceiving 
this change, was frightened ; an alarming shivering 
seized her. 

‘‘Of what are you thinking, Boris Michailo witch?” 
said she, close to him. “Of that blood which you 


HEB BOYAL LOVEB. 


87 


have seen upon the statue? I assure you its produc- 
tion is such as I have indicated to you.” 

“hTajeska, may I, can I believe you? Ah! if you 
knew how much I am disheartened by all this terri- 
ble business!” 

“Yes, it is dreadful! dreadful!” said she. 

Mineleko was silent during a moment; then fixed 
his eyes on his young wife : 

“Najeska Ivanowna,” said he, solemnly, “have 
you really heard nothing last night as you have just 
sworn to the magistrate? Was it really I who ap- 
prised you of this murder?” 

“ But, I assure you ! I swear it to you, my friend !” 

She became pale, however. 

“ But, however, the man that I believed I saw has 
most assuredly introduced himself in our house !” 

I^ajeska Ivanowna answered nothing, then said 
suddenly : 

“ How do you suppose that one could penetrate by 
night in a house of which all means of ingress are 
so rigidly closed?” demanded she. 

“ They could if some one in the house was in col- 
lusion with them. Ah! Najeska, if you know any- 
thing and you have concealed it, your guilt would 
be great!” 

“Is it I then that you are going to suspect?” cried 
the ambassadress. “ Ah ! I imagined it when I saw 
you looking at that blood ! Oh, is it your dreadful 
jealousy which is awakening again, to inspire you 
with the thought that I have let a man enter this 
night? My God! what woman has ever suffered as 
I have, and that always on account of chimeras ! 
You ought to know at last, however, that I would 
not deceive you for a kingdom ! Why is it that 
death, that I so ardently desire, does not come to 


88 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


deliver me from a life that you render so odious to 
me, and to which alone my poor little daughters 
attach me !” 

She spoke passionately, and in presence of this 
grief so genuine, Mineleko sorrowfully bowed his 
head. She was perfectly right! What unlikeli- 
hood, what improbabilities had he not invented in 
order to excuse the outrageous scene which he was 
making 1 

^‘Najeska I vanowna, pardon me and love me! — 
me alone! Do you seriously affirm that I have 
dreamed last night?” 

His regard was so ardent, so sinister, that the 
princess grew pale. Then, endeavoring to recover 
her countenance, she said to him : 

“You speak in enigmas, my friend, and I have 
never been skillful in solving them. I have heard 
nothing last night, I repeat it to you. What I 
think, is that Kassar on making his last round in 
the house, has perhaps believed to hear, or that he 
has really heard, some thieves in the garden ; that 
he has then leaned quickly out of the window and 
that, losing his equilibrium, he must have fallen and 
must have broken his back. If he has really found 
some malefactor there, which is almost certain, 
since some one must have committed the assassina- 
tion, they have strangled him to force him to 
silence. If the thieves have not dared to enter in 
the house, it is that they have probably seen you at 
the window, since you say that you were there with 
your light. But let us cut short this painful conver- 
sation ; I should be pleased if you would leave me 
alone a moment, for really, after these terrible 
emotions, I am suffering very much, and I have an 
excruciating headache.” 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


Saying this, she hastily arose and went to immerse 
in a basin of cold water her pretty face, all dis- 
figured by tears and agitation; then, in order to 
be able more easily to press upon her neck, long and 
fiexible as that of a swan, her sponge completely 
saturated with perfumed water, she let slowly slip 
her muslin dressing-gown. Then, from the elegant 
red satin corset, which imprisoned her graceful and 
exquisite form, from some slender bands of lace 
which were delineated upon her pearly shoulders, 
her beautiful bust, her rosy and white flesh escaped. 

Mineleko, enchanted, fascinated, seized anew with 
passion, forgot for a moment his uneasiness and the 
terrible gravity of the circumstances. 

Springing forward, he imprinted a burning kiss 
upon this snowy bosom and swore to his wife “that 
ail that which she would tell him, all! all! he 
would blindly believe.” The ambassadress smiled 
sadly while putting on again her dressing-gown. 
She knew that this paroxysm of confidence would 
last no longer than the others. 

After having left the princess and re-entered his 
chamber, Mineleko began to pace the floor feverish- 
ly. Was it true that the noise which he thought he 
had heard had escaped all except that superstitious 
nurse? Was it true that the princess also, during 
the night, had seen nothing, known nothing? But 
that stain on the marble, that blood that his wife at 
his advice had so eagerly washed in order to remove 
it ! Najeska Ivanowna has furnished him, however, 
with a plausible excuse. Why should this explana- 
tion be false, after all? If it was she, however, why 
deny it? 

From whom came this blood? If there has been a 
struggle it is the young woman then who has been 


90 


EEB BOTAL LOVEB. 


attacked; but by whom? And how is it that Kassar 
is dead? If, having heard a struggle in the apart- 
ment of the princess, he had entered there and the 
assassin had struck him, Najeska Ivanowna would 
know it. And she denies it ! she denies all ! If she 
lies it is because she loves the assassin then and 
wishes to save him. 

A terrible combat between the suspicion which 
overwhelms and the love which excuses is waged 
within him. 

If it was the king ! How to discover that fact, for 
which he would have given ten years of his life? 

But, to the point, did he not know all the aides- 
de-camp of the king, all the dignitaries of the 
palace? Why should he not go to them and adroitly 
question them? 

His resolution is taken. 

Behold him then, upon the little dead and sleepy 
square of the residence city ; where one may see the 
grass grow upon which no indiscreet foot comes to 
trod. At the same time as he, a man traverses it : 
it is Count Adlersward, the favorite aide-de-camp of 
the king. 

“Wait,” said the count, “this happens admirably; 
I was going directly to your house to inquire about 
this terrible affair.” 

Mineleko, subduing his agitation, regulated his 
steps by those of the aide-de-camp. After he had 
spoken of the assassination he asked : 

“How is his majesty this morning?” demanded 
he, coming to the point. 

“As always, very well. But wherefore this sud- 
den disquietude for a health which rarely leaves 
anything to be desired?” 

“For nothing— nothing. Only, I was informed 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


91 


yesterday that his majesty had retired very early, 
and I was afraid that he might be indisposed.” 

“They have told you that?” 

“ Yes.” 

“Ah, well! they were wrong. His majesty has 
played piquet peaceably until one o’clock in the 
morning.” 

One o’clock in the morning ! It was precisely at 
this hour that the man had leaped out of the win- 
dow ; he knew it, for although half asleep, we recol- 
lect, he had heard the big bell of the chateau at the 
moment when he re-entered his chamber. It was 
not Charles Ferdinand then. 

However, Mineleko said to himself that if he 
whom he had perceived was the king, for fear of an 
indiscretion the monarch would have given to all 
the aides-de camp the formal order to say that 
which Adlersward had just communicated to him. 

During the whole day, the embassy, generally so 
quiet, was the theater of a perpetual coming and 
going. 

Mineleko awaited the night with great impatience. 
This man, generally so intelligent, was blinded to 
such an extent by suspicion and jealousy, that he 
imagined that the individual who had already come 
not being able during the day to find an opportunity 
to communicate with the princess, would perhaps 
return at night to concert with his sweetheart or 
his accomplice, for, in his tenor and his rage, he 
firmly believed at times that Najeska Ivanowna 
was either the one or the other. 

The dinner of the husband and wife passed in 
almost absolute silence. Both of them were dis- 
heartened. Hajeska Ivanowna furtively watched 


92 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


the prince, divining probably that which was pass- 
ing in him. 

She was seized by a nervous trembling ; she was 
afraid ; her eyes did not dare to encounter those of 
her husband. 

When the hour in which they always separated 
arrived, Madame de Mineleko arose, and bidding 
him a timid “Good-night,” wished to retire. 

The prince, half furious with himself for being 
capable of suspecting her, but, however, not being 
able to hinder himself from doing so, experienced a 
sudden revulsion before the mild, lovely eyes of his 
wife. 

“Najeska Ivanowna, remain!” he entreated. 
“ Dost thou not desire that we may pass the night 
together? Dost thou not wish that we may confide 
to each other all that which we have in our hearts, 
as in the first days of our marriage?” said he, sud- 
denly coaxing her, a habit which also recalled the 
first days of their marriage. 

“As you like,” responded Najeska Ivanowna, 
“but I am so fatigued that I would be grateful to 
you if you would let me rest.” 

The ambassador did not try to retain her ; it is 
true that he imagined himself to have so much to 
watch this night, that an absolute solitude was in- 
dispensable to him. The response of his wife, was 
for his jealous heart, a confirmation that she was 
expecting some one. 

Hardly alone, Mineleko breathed a profound sigh ; 
he went to a table upon which a statuette of his 
wife was placed, he contemplated it passionately. 
What were his thoughts? He was frightened at the 
anxiety which agitated him, for if ISTajeska Ivan- 
owna was guilty, the police would sooner or later 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


93 


discover it, and the most fearful chastisement would 
crush this ravishing creature who, in spite of all his 
suspicions, all his jealousies, he loved above every- 
thing. 

If he had opened the door at this moment he 
might have seen Najeska Ivanowna, very pale, 
standing listening, her hands convulsively pressed 
against her breast. 

The prince was determined to watch all night, and 
wishing to inspect all himself, he made the tour of 
the apartments. 

Several entrances gave admittance to the hotel of 
the embassy. First, there was the door of honor 
for the master, the visitors and the more honored 
guests, then that which was reserved for the use of 
the domestics, the employes and the tradesmen. 
Then a third called the little private door, which 
gave on the garden with which all the windows at 
the back were on a level. 

When he footsteps of the servants were com- 
pletely extinguished, when a death-like silence 
seemed to cover with leaden wings the entire palace, 
when all appeared asleep except those who were 
watching the corpse, Mineleko went himself to 
assure himself that people and things were all in 
their proper places. He examined the windows of 
the saloons, he strengthened the bolts, he felt and 
shook feverishly all the exits, which, however, were 
firmly closed — nothing to fear on that side. 

At each of the two principal doors a sentinel was 
posted, left by the commissary of police. Some 
Caucasian servants of the prince were conversing 
in low tones with them. 

The garden entrance and the private exit, which 
appeared more appropriate for a clandestine visit, 


94 


3IER ROYAL LOVER, 


was intrusted to two colossal Tartars esteemed for 
their devotion, and for greater security they let 
loose in the garden the big dog “Nero,” a magnifi- 
cent beast who was worth alone as a guard two of 
the most resolute men. 

After all these precautions, taken as much by the 
police as by the Prince de Mineleko, he returned to 
his apartment, which was opposite that of his wife. 
All was tranquil and dark in the house. In the 
chamber of the dead, only, many candles were burn- 
ing as in a chapel. Vassili and two or three Cau- 
casians servant-women were kneeling before the 
sacred Russian images with which they had piously 
surrounded it, and were watching the corpse while 
reciting the prayers of the orthodox church. 

On re-entering his chamber, the prince extin- 
guished his lamp so that Najeska Ivanowna should 
believe him asleep, and would feel herself thus 
more serene, more quiet, if she really was in collu- 
sion with the man, who had come the preceding 
nights and whom she was doubtless expecting again. 

In the chamber of the princess, all appeared 
plunged in the most profound obscurity. Mineleko 
breathed a sigh of relief in believing that she was 
resting. Did his jealous}^ which was making him 
so miserable, positively deceive him? 

Was Najeska Ivanowna really ignorant of this 
apparition of the preceding night? But wherefore 
those red stains upon the marble, those stains of 
blood ! But, after all, why should not the supposi- 
tions of his wife as to the manner in which Kassar 
had met his death be exact. That man who had 
introduced himself in the house was perhaps only 
a simple thief, attracted by the allurement of a rich 
booty. The unfortunate Kassar had probably sur- 


heu botal lover. 


95 


prised him, and thus as the princess pretended to 
suppose, the scoundrel had killed him to prevent 
him from summoning witnesses. 

Several thefts had been committed a short time 
since in the peaceful residence. It was scarcely 
two months ago that all the papers of the Illyrian 
embassy had been stolen. On the other hand, noth- 
ing was missing, nothing was broken in the house, 
and the profile of the man who had so rapidly dis- 
appeared had nothing of a thief. He listened at the 
partition of his wife’s door ; not a sound was heard. 

Thus, without a light, Mineleko, completely 
dressed, had thrown himself in his arm-chair. Bless 
me ! how long the night seemed to this man who, not 
withstanding his lassitude, did not wish to let sleep 
gain upon him, and remained thus for some hours, 
with ears on the watch ! 

The spring evenings, a little cool, necessitated 
some fire toward night. At present, there being no 
fuel to feed the fire, it was slowly dying out in the 
large white porcelain stove ; the penetrating cold of 
the night was gradually invading this chamber, 
that a very small night-lamp was feebly lighting. 
Placed near the princess’ bed, it threw its feeble 
light upon all the surrounding objects, and gave to 
them a fantastic form. 

Not a sound which fills, even by night, the gay 
and broad streets of large cities, was heard in this 
little quiet town. At such an hour the carriages 
which by their weight shake the causeways, and 
the steps of belated pedestrians, are sounds com- 
pletely unknown here. Here nothing, nothing of 
all that comes to disturb the peaceful repose of our 
good Thessalian citizens. 

Suddenly the large cracked bell of the old chateau 


96 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


begins to ring. Eleven strokes at equal intervals 
breaks the silence of the night ; then all relapses 
into silence. A quarter of an hour passes ; another 
is added to the preceding one, and always the same 
unbroken silence. 

Decidedly, Mineleko is mistaken, nothing unusual 
will transpire. Impatient, agitated, the prince feels 
that he can remain no longer in his apartment 
without becoming insane. He is suffocating. 

In the hotel of the Caucasian ambassador there 
was a large apartment in which Madame de Min- 
eleko painted. She had a very fine amateur talent. 
It was there in that atelier, more spacious and more 
airy than the other rooms of the house, that Min- 
eleko resloved to take refuge in order to be able to 
go and come without awaking his wife, whom he 
supposed to be asleep. 

Shod consequently in slippers with cork soles, he 
ascends, groping to find his way. Like a thief, he 
holds a dark lantern, ready to turn it on the face of 
whoever he would encounter. 

Arrived at the top of the stairs, he continues to 
guide himself with his hand until at last he reaches 
the studio. This large room occupies all the back 
part of the second story. Mineleko breathes at 
last. An icy temperature soothes agreeably the 
burning forehead of the jealous husband. No 
danger of any one surprising him here; he will 
be able then to circulate and reflect at his leisure. 

He softly closes the door. Before pulling the cord 
which lowers the large window of the apartmemt, 
he listens again. No noise without. In the garden 
the watch-dog Nero, that the slightest rustling of a 
leaf causes to bark, lays outstretched, his noble 
head resting upon his fore paws. In the sleeping 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


97 


house, not the least movement. All is tranquil. 
Then, his hands behind his back, his head bent for- 
ward, profoundly absorbed in his reflections, in his 
thoughts, he commences his promenade. Will it 
compose him? 

Everything in this room recalls to him her whom 
he adores, and who will make him insane with 
jealously; for he cannot rid himself of the idea that 
the king has come. The large low divans, the easels 
standing about, the palettes still furnished with paint, 
the half-flnished paintings; all are impregnated 
with her. A canvas larger than the others turned 
against the wall attracts his attention. 

He approaches it: what can that be? He turns it 
around and illuminates it with the rays of his 
lantern. There, living, so much it resembles him, 
stands the king, in full uniform. Mineleko, like 
Macbeth on seeing the specter of Banquo, utters a 
smothered cry. 

“ He ! always he ! He comes then to pose here, 
and I am ignorant of it!” 

As it was continually happening to him, the un- 
happy man was deceiving himself, for this portrait 
Najeska Ivanowna was painting from a large photo- 
graph, and she had destined this work as a bridal 
present to the Princess Agusta. 

Brought back to reality by the ludicrousness of 
his situation, Mineleko was afraid. If Najeska had 
heard him ! In his confusion he does not perceive 
that a little side door giving on the other side of the 
studio is open. He was so much absorbed in the 
furious contemplation of this picture, which he felt 
was executed as much by the heart as by the brush, 
that he did not hear a dull sound like that of a 
muffled footstep approaching him. 


98 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


Suddenly, a slender thread of light falls in the 
studio. The prince is dismayed. What vision is 
going to appear to him again? He holds his breath. 
He waits. 

In the meantime the light is increasing, the steps 
are becoming more distinct. This time, he does not 
dream ! At all events he will assure himself. 

With his back turned to the door, his lantern 
closed, and himself concealed behind the portrait, it 
is impossible that any living being or phantom 
which comes may be able to see him ; but, with a 
great presence of mind, he blows the lantern entire- 
ly out and goes quickly and crouches behind an im- 
mense tapestry which conceals one of the entrances 
of the atelier. 

The footsteps stop ; a hand pushes the door open, 
and a woman, the princess, clothed in a long white 
dressing-gown, her hair unconfined over her shoul- 
ders, advances, lighted by a lamp which she holds in 
her hand; she walks softly, with precaution, as if 
seeking a lost object. She searches everywhere, 
examines all the corners of her studio; nothing! 
She goes toward a secretary where she generally 
writes, and of which she alone possesses the key. 
All the papers, all the drawers are minutely ex- 
amined. At each unsuccessful search, a genuine 
dispair manifests itself ; before this fruitless inspec 
tion real sobs escape from her parched throat : 

“ My God ! my God ! it will be dreadful if I cannot 
find it!” cries she at last. 

Mineleko, whose arteries are beating almost to 
bursting, anxiously awaits the termination of this 
revealing scene. Now he trembles more than ever 
at being discovered, for he feels that he touches the 
key to the enigma; his impatience is difficult to 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


99 


restrain ; a violent desire to run to her, to question 
her, takes possession of him. 

After having searched all the rest of the apart- 
ment. Najeska Ivanowna directs her steps directly 
toward the place where he remains on the watch. 
Suddenly she espies a paper upon the floor which 
has hitherto escaped her observation ; she utters a 
cry of joy and hastily springs forward to pick it up. 
She is saved ! 

In a minute Mineleko’s resolution is taken. Noise- 
lessly he glides toward her. Absorbed as she is in 
the contemplation of her happy discovery, she does 
not hear him. Suddenly she feels a warm breath 
breathing on her shoulder chilled by the icy air of 
this room. Her light is extinguished, and a burning 
hand alights upon her arm and snatches the paper 
from her. The promptitude with which this was 
done, the terror which possessed her, paralyzes her 
strength ; the cry which she wishes to utter remains 
strangled. Nevertheless, the power of action re- 
turns to her ; she struggles, she seeks this invisible 
enemy whom she wishes to overthrow ; but in the 
midst of the dark night it is only in groping that she 
can hope to seize him. Vain efforts ! like a slimy 
reptile, he slips between her trembling Angers and 
her hands only beat the empty air. 

Her aggressor has gone then? No— he is still 
there, perhaps. In this absolute darkness, he is 
going to seize her, to assassinate her ! Her teeth 
chatter, her limbs bend under her; what is going to 
happen to her? 

Like a statue of fright, she remains immovable^ 
petrifled ; she tries to persuade herself that she has 
had a bad dream, that her timid imagination alone 
delineates; undoubtedly the midnight air penetrat- 


100 


BER ROYAL LOVER, 


ing by a half-open casement, must have at the same 
time extinguished her light, and drawn from her 
hand the precious paper. She stoops, she hopes to 
find it ; vain hope ! 

It seemed that death, grimacing hideously, was 
beside her. In the over-excitement of her senses, 
she imagined she heard a dull confused sound, 
reverberating rapidly like the percipitate beating of 
a terrified heart, and this sound augmented in- 
tensely. • Then she knew the paroxysm of terror. 

Suddenly midnight struck slowly, dolefully. At 
the last stroke of the bell, she heard footsteps run- 
ning up the stairs ; some one, opening violently the 
door, introduced a bright light in the room. It was 
one of the old servants of the princess. 

In making his round in the garden he had seen a 
light in the studio, ordinarily always dark at this 
hour of the night. This light being extinguished, it 
was only after having finished his inspection that 
he had decided to ascend to ascertain if all was in 
good order there. As soon as the princess perceives 
him, her nerves abruptly relax at the sight of this 
unexpected deliverer, she throws herself upon him 
and clings to him in such a manner that the man 
believes that she has become insane. 

“What is the matter with you, Madame la Prin- 
cess?” 

The young woman turns in every direction her 
eyes that terror renders immoderately large. 

“Hush! hush!” said she. « Listen— there is some 
one here. A man has come, he has extinguished my 
light, he has snatched something from me that I 
held in my hand, then he has disappeared.” 

The fingers of the young woman stiffen desper- 
ately on the arm of the old man, and while speaking 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


101 


she continues to cast terrified glances around her. 
Her body shakes with convulsive trembling, breath- 
lessly she resumes : 

“ Listen — but listen then ! There is some one here, 
I tell you, some one who breathes. This respiration 
I hear distinctly. Save me, Wladimir Wladirmiro- 
witch, save me! I implore you!” 

“Come, Madame la Princess, calm yourself and 
come with me. I am going immediately to call the 
police and search the whole house.” 

“No, no!” cried the princess, seized suddenly with 
fright on thinking of the lost paper and alarmed at 
the idea that an interposition of the police might 
perhaps reveal all that which she wished to conceal. 

“No, Wladimir, I was dreaming. I am mistaken, 
there was no one here ; only reconduct me to my 
chamber. It is in the delirium of terror that I have 
spoken unreasonably.” 


102 


EEE BOYAL LOVEB, 


CHAPTER XII. 

“OH, INFAMOUS CREATURE!” 

As soon as he had seized the paper snatched from 
his wife, without thinking of her terror, the prince, 
trembling with fury, descended to his room. 

Arrived in his chamber, he locked and bolted his 
door and in great haste he opened the note. It con- 
tained only these words in a disguised hand : 

“ When will you grant me, then, the rendezvous which you have 
promised me? I cannot, I will not wait much longer.” 

A date, that of the morning before the murder, 
but no signature. It was after this letter that the 
assassin had entered. 

Mineleko, his eyes riveted upon these few lines, 
was as if magnetized. The concentration of his re- 
gard seemed to desire to draw from this inanimate 
object the name of him who had traced them. Like 
those of a tiger athirst for blood, they all appeared 
by the fire alone which escaped from their orbits, 
ready to annihilate this accusing paper which his 
contracted hands were crushing. Suddenly, a fright- 
ful spasm disfigured his countenance. 

“One does not burn the proofs of the culpability 
of his wife!” cried he, with rage. “Oh! infamous 
creature, who has played comedy so excellently to 
me this morning! How thou deceivest me! and 
wherefore? For ambition, for venality to become 
the mistress of a king! Wretch! wretch! and per- 
haps a homicide.” 

And like an intoxicated man who essays vainly 
to stand up, at each of those exclamations, he made 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


103 


a tottering step. It was in stumbling that he 
reached his secretary ; like an inert mass, he let 
himself fall upon a chair ; his head struck heavily 
upon the marble shelf, and, from that shock, a terri- 
ble sound re-echoed. 

Then, as if he had become mad, frightful laughter, 
atrocious sobs escaped from his breast. 




104 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

PLANS TO DESTROY THE KING. 

When, on the next morning, after that terrible 
night, Najeska Ivanowna arose, she was very pale. 
Her nerves had suffered such a great shock that she 
was still very tremulous. Should she speak of this 
occurrence to her husband? 

Notwithstanding the denials of the princess, 
Wladimir, with the other men and the police, had 
carefully searched all the corners of the house and 
the studio, and nothing suspicious had appeared to 
them anywhere. The old man had come to render 
an account of this visit to his mistress ; but, in spite 
of the certainty of having found no one, the brave 
man had remained none the less frantic with dis- 
quietude, and had he not occasion for being so? A 
crime committed the day before ; a man leaping out 
of the window and seen by his master; and, now, 
his mistress declares that an unknown person, after 
having extinguished her light, had snatched a note 
which she was holding in her hand ; all that was as 
frightful as mysterious. 

Najeska Ivanowna was tortured by a fixed idea: 
if this unknown was her husband ! Then, the few 
words so compromising were in his power, some- 
. thing a thousand times more terrible than if they 
had fallen in the hands of a thief. My God ! what 
to do to regain possession of that letter? 

The princess did not know what to decide upon. 
If she was silent about this incident to the prince, 
and if it was he who had surprised her, the circum- 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


105 


stance would appear to him ambiguous and he 
would pass from suspicion to certitude. It was 
more prudent then to tell him all. She decided to 
do so, and immediately sent Glascha to beg the 
prince to come to her. 

If Najeska Ivanowna was pale, Mineleko was 
livid. He had reflected a great deal during the 
night. The author of this anonymous letter and the 
murderer was without doubt the same person ; but 
to deliver this letter to the magistrate was a positive 
peril for Najeska, if, by a frightful hazard, she was 
the accomplice of the murderer. What an atrocious 
disgrace, both for her and for him ! 

Although tortured by the thought that he was 
thus deceiving justice, and was allowing the mur- 
derer to escape unpunished, on account of his wife, 
whom he would shield at any price, he could not act 
otherwise. 

His anger against Najeska was terrible, but, how- 
ever, the more it increased the more his passion and 
his love for her increased. 

When he entered, although self-contained and 
very courteous, his wife was perturbed ; she had the 
presence of one of those misfortunes of which the 
expectation alone freezes you. 

“You have sent for me? What do you want of 
me, dear Najeska Ivanowna?” said he, with a dia- 
bolical smile. 

Madame de Mineleko, frightened by this insane 
conduct which, in spite of the very evident desire of 
her husband to subdue, was manifested in him, felt 
dying in her throat the words which she wished to 
pronounce ; she was only able now to look at him 
with terror. 


106 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


“It seems to me, madam, that you have some- 
thing to communicate to me?” 

“ Madam !” He called her “madam !” 

Najeska Ivanowna still kept silent. 

For the third time her husband reiterated his 
demand. Then, making a great effort over herself, 
she decided to speak. 

“ Last night, my friend ” 

She could not say any more. 

“And what took place, last night?” 

“ Last night ” 

She was silent again before the strange looks of 
her husband. At last, she took an irrevocable reso- 
lution. He must be told all. Without subterfuge she 
revealed the different episodes of that doleful night. 

“And what did this man do? What did he take 
out of your hands?” 

Najeska Ivanowna, in spite of her habitual pres- 
ence of mind, was confused by this question, for 
which she had not prepared an answer. 

“Has he stolen money or jewels from you?” 

And the piercing eyes of the prince were immova- 
bly fixed upon those of the trembling young woman. 

“Bless me!” said she, at last, “I do not recollect 
very well. I believe that I had nothing very im- 
portant in my hand.” 

“Ah! who knows?” said he, sneeringly. 

Impatient, provoked, Najeska Ivanowna cried: 

“ Begone! you horrify me !” 

But, after all the anguish, the alternations of the 
preceding day, being no longer able to restrain her- 
self, she melted into tears. Notwithstanding his 
fury, sentiment born from his love and from his 
jealousy, at the sight of his wife’s distress, Mineleko 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


107 


was, in spite of himself, drawn toward her by an 
impulse of tenderness and pity. Loyally he ex- 
tended his hand to her ; but she obdurately repulsed 
it. Then he looked at her a long time, then, turning 
his head, he gained the door and left her alone. 

An indestructible barrier had just risen between 
them. Alone at last, Najeska Ivanowna hastily 
dried her tears, for she felt that, for the present, 
she required all her strength, and that weeping 
weakened without relieving her. 

No longer a doubt, it was indeed her husband who 
had so badly frightened her the preceding night, it 
was in his hands that the letter was to be found 
which fortunately remained without a signature. 
Was there an immediate determination to come to? 
Although the ambassador would not be able to 
devine from whom this missive came, it would be 
for him a positive proof that she, his wife, was 
guilty — guilty at least of receiving clandestine let- 
ters from some man, if not the author of the crime. 

Najeska Ivanowna foresaw well that the sus- 
picions of her husband would rest immediately on 
the king! “The king,” who had so little dissimu- 
lated his love for her that the most blind, the most 
benevolent husband, had not been able to mis- 
take it ! 

The princess knew the violence of Mineleko. She 
could foresee the terrible designs that were ferment- 
ing in that passionate head? Who could say if, in 
spending this day at home, she was not incurring a 
great danger? for a jealous husband is a madman, 
almost irresponsible for his acts. Tracing back the 
facts of the preceding evening, she imagined that 
her husband was spying on her, that he had fol- 
lowed her from the time she had left her chamber, 


108 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


This conduct was a proof that the suspicions of the 
ambassador were aggravated. 

While she was thus buried in those profound re- 
flections, the bell rang, announcing the arrival of a 
visitor. Jumping up hastily from her easy-chair, 
she saw one of the royal carriages stop in the court 
of honor. Could it be the king? the king who came 
sometimes thus to visit her. Dear me! but then, 
Mineleko will believe more than ever that he is the 
man to whom the letter belongs! Trembling, she 
allowed herself to be dressed by her maid, in order 
to be ready for any event. 

A light rap was discreetly given at her door. 

“Who is there, Glascha?” 

“Madame la Princess, they come to inform you 
that their highnesses, the young royal princesses, 
are waiting.” 

Like all enthusiastic young girls, fascinated by 
the charm and the grace of Madame de Mineleko, 
the two august fiancees adored her. Najeska Ivan- 
owna, strict observer of court etiquette, hastened 
so as not to keep their highnesses waiting. A few 
minutes after, she joined them in the drawing- 
rooms. 

“Dear madam,” said the eldest princess, “my 
father sends us to earnestly entreat you to join us 
this afternoon. We know what terrible circum- 
stances have occurred here, and the magistrate, my 
father says, does not know what to think of all that, 
for his researches remain unsuccessful. But it is 
not necessary for you to remain constantly immured 
here, meditating over these horrible events, and 
during the fine weather which we have, we have 
projected a picnic excursion to the Augusta-Hutte. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


109 


His majesty invites also the Ambassador of Cau- 
casus/’ 

Najeska Ivanowna was disturbed at the name of 
her husband, but a royal invitation is a command ; 
she could not refuse it. 

“ The ambassador, like myself, will be more than . 
honored by the command of his majesty,” responded 
she. 

Then the three ladies, abandoning the stiffness of 
ceremony, commenced a more familiar conversation 
upon every-day topics. There are moments where 
nothing seems more delightful than the few hours 
snatched from the forced etiquette of the court, for 
it is in vain that one is of royal blood, one cannot 
always keep oneself hoisted on the stiff and affected 
diapason of convenances. The ambassadress was 
astonished at the pleasure which she experienced 
from this visit. She was surprised to be able to talk 
so gaily, won by the contagious felicity of the young 
girls who, in order to change the current of the 
gloomy thoughts of the ambassadress, conversed on 
every subject. They spoke of the new Ambassadress 
of the Netherlands, arrived the day before; of the 
ridiculous costume that the old grandmistress had 
worn at a recent reception. Approaching a subject 
which was dear to her, the eldest princess especially 
talked a great deal, for she had much to say on this 
subject, of her adored fiance, George of Pattenpouff, 
a fiance who, after long deliberations between the 
king and his mother-in-law, the tyranncial Empress 
of Hindustan, had been granted to the young 
princess notwithstanding the inferiority of his rank 
— a son born of a morganatic marriage. 

The Emperor of Babylon had made many objec- 
tions against such a misalliance, but love, and also 


no 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


the scarcity of other royal applicants, had prevailed. 
While the Princess Augusta was inexhaustible upon 
the subject of her “George,” the Princess Aline re- 
mained silent about her fiance. That great dolt, 
that northern barbarian that they had given her 
seemed to have in nowise touched the heart or the 
imagination of the young girl. She was really very 
beautiful, the young Princess Aline. This day, the 
costume of English cloth which she wore in such 
an elegant manner, became her wonderfully well ; 
the little otter cap set upon her slightly-frizzed 
bronze hair, gave to her charming features a little 
refractoriness that her large soft meditative eyes 
tempered. Whence did she derive this constant 
melancholy? One would have been able to suppose 
that this young heart, made for love, had already 
suffered ; the habitues of the court sought, but in 
vain, that which could produce this depth of sadness 
in this young and lovely child, who was believed to 
know as yet, only the pleasures of life. 

When the princess had taken leave of the ambas- 
sadress, the latter, not wishing to go and seek him 
herself, transmitted to her husband, by her maid, 
the invitation that they had received from the king. 
When Glascha ascended to her master’s apartment, 
she found him with his head buried in his hands. 
Seated before his secretary and although surrounded 
by a great number of notes, and administrative 
papers, Mineleko was not writing. He seemed to be 
absorbed in a cruel reverie. 

The next day, they were going to inter Kassan, 
and notwithstanding the activity of the police, the 
investigation had not advanced a step. 

Mineleko, who occupied himself but little with 
domestics, did not observe that Glascha feared to 


HEU nOYAL LOVER. 


Ill 


approach him. This girl was not one of the Parisian 
ladies maids, never taken unawares, having always 
upon the end of the tongue a lie which they deliver 
like gospel verse; she was a coarse Caucasian 
peasant, who for money would have sold her soul ; 
a veritable feminine rustic, with sufficient appren- 
ticeship she would have quickly accustomed herself 
in the methods of the lies and treasons of her class. 
It was not the evil instincts that were wanting in 
her, but simply the practice of profligacy. She had 
not yet had the opportunity to grow acute. Glascha 
once gone, Mineleko could at last abandon himself 
entirely to the frenzy, the indignation, the grief, 
which were alternately rending him. The king 
dared to invite him — him ! whom he had perhaps so 
abominably betrayed ! 

Alas ! colossal Bluebeard, yoked to his refined and 
nervous wife, he had perhaps been guilty of great 
wrongs toward her; those wrongs, he excused by 
the innumerable tortures that his jealousy had made 
him endure. Poor woman, how often he had abused 
her without cause ! But this bear, accustomed to 
drink hardly, to command rudely, this Don Juan 
habituated hitherto to frivolous manners, to facile 
mistresses, this indefatigable Nimrod of the icy 
steppes of his country, could he ever hope to raise 
himself to the heavens where this sensitive creature 
hovered, whom he adored without comprehending. 
Certainl}^, his manner of loving, almost bestial^ 
taken all and all, was not that which would have 
been necessary to Najeska Ivanowna, whose lively 
and exhalted imagination had dreamed of the poetic 
songs of a delicate troubadour sighing unceasingly 
near her. How far from the ideal of the romantic 
young girl was the reality of her existence to the 


112 


HEB ROYAL LOVER, 


young married woman! But she had always re- 
mained faithful to him, however; never until the 
accursed day of their arrival in Thessaly had she 
failed in the solemn engagements of her marriage. 
But this passionate king, poet and accomplished 
gentleman, was making a profound impression on 
her heart. “All in her,” he said to himself, “was 
changed; her lips, chaste from all lies, had not 
feared to boldly deny the fault, perhaps the com- 
mitted crime. What art she had displayed to dis- 
suade him from that ‘supposed vision!’ Oh! the 
king ! the miserable king, traitor, thief and proba- 
bly assassin, how he would avenge himself!” 

Mineleko, after having allowed his rage of the sav- 
age beast to evaporate, commenced to reflect on the 
means by which he would be revenged on him who 
was taking from him happiness and tranquillity, on 
him who had perhaps drawn his wife in the com- 
plicity of a horrible crime. He wished to strike in 
such a manner that, in his turn, this sovereign 
would be punished according to his deserts, and that 
he would feel all the torments which he himself was 
enduring. To punish a king ! — that is not an easy 
matter! But a jealous man is a resolute man; the 
ambassador will struggle until his last breath ; his 
perseverance will never slaken ; it will be as long as 
his life. How much a man is to be feared who 
awakes in the morning with the same flxed idea 
with which he has gone to bed the day before. His 
strength is invulnerable. It will even destroy a 
king. 

The kingdom of Thessaly, small as it was, included 
a great number of malcontents whose complaints 
were added to those of the unfortunate. This state 
of affairs was not unknown to the ambassador. It 


HEli ROYAL LOVER. 


113 


is in this quarter that he will direct his attention. 
What might he not expect from a rebellion which 
would dethrone this king, this “infamous king” who 
makes it his occupation to alienate wives from their 
husbands. It has been said that the King of Albania, 
neighbor of the King of Thessaly, is covetous to 
unite to his kingdom a province of Thessaly. Ah, 
well ! he will avenge himself in embroiling politics 
in this direction. 

Ah! this Thessalian majesty has disdained him! 
Has alienated his wife’s affections! Well! like a 
terrible Nemesis, he is going to redress himself, and 
he will be the arbiter of his destiny. 

All these fantastic plans, some more insane and 
improbable than others, passed alternately in his 
head in a perpetual state of effervescence. 


114 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

AN APPOINTMENT. 

Th<^ hour for the rendezvous appointed by the king 
arrived at last. 

Najeska Ivanowna, her long slender fingers im- 
prisoned in irreproachable gloves, had been ready 
for some time. While waiting for her husband, she 
had retired in one of the saloons where, in order to 
conceal her emotion, she was pretending to read 
attentively. She wore an elegant costume which, 
in itself alone, had been sufficient to make the 
reputation of her tradesman, one of the first tailors 
of Paris. Almost entirely clad in white, she dis- 
appeared under a thousand little gauzy puffs which 
enveloped her like a fleecy cloud. Her round and 
white neck alone appeared, escaping from some 
ruches which surrounded it. 

Mineleko felt a strange sensation of rage wring 
him at the thought that all those charms, those of 
“his mistress,” the “mistress of the king,” would re- 
joice the heart of the latter. “And what avails this 
empty rage?” said the reason of Mineleko to the 
ever-increasing anger which invaded him, “it is a 
sang froid reflection that he requires in order to ac- 
complish something which might destroy the happi- 
ness of this criminal king whose satisfied smile he 
would like to quench in blood, in order to replace it 
by tears and despair.” At this thought “to make a 
martyr of a king!” he uttered, in his hope of ven- 
geance, a cry similar to a wild beast when satiated. 

While the carriage was conveying them at the 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


115 


rapid trot of four magnificent English horses, 
Najeska Ivanowna was far from suspecting all that 
which was passing in the head of her husband. On 
seeing the apparent calm of the prince, she rejoiced 
that the tempest was allayed and that all the horri- 
ble impressions of the last days seemed to be 
effaced. Arrived at the royal palace, the ambas- 
sador and ambassadress were immediately intro- 
duced in the saloons where the court were already 
assembled. 

The palace of King Charles Ferdinand XVIII. of 
Thessaly was situated on Parade square. 

It was very large and was comprised of several 
bodies of buildings erected at different epochs. The 
most ancient part, dating from 1568, had been con- 
structed by King George. It embraced, among 
others, the imperial hall (Kaiser Saal) and the 
chapel of the chateau, which were both restored in 
1842 in the Renaissance style. Contiguous to this 
wing is that which incloses the famous building 
crowned with numerous belfries from which, at 
each hour, is heard the chimes of the famous bells 
manufactured in Amsterdam. This edifice was 
erected, in 1664, by Louis VI. Since that time, 
twenty-four times a day, the Thessalian residence 
has heard the music of those chimes, which vainly 
attempt to arouse from its monotony the little sleepy 
town. 

The more modern part of the chateau was built in 
1717, in the French style. To this part a second 
palace was attached, called “the little palace,” a 
wing of the first to which it was joined by a glass 
gallery. Around the inclosure of this monument a 
wide and deep moat extended which, in its day, had 
been filled with water, but in which now the brush- 


116 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


wood and grass grew luxuriantly. Over this small 
ditch, three draw bridges were thrown to give access 
to this species of fortress, whose black mass recalled 
the old strong chateaux of the Middle Ages. 

As the carriage of the ambassador and ambassa- 
dress was passing over one of these arched bridges 
in order to enter into the avenue of the chateau, 
Najeska Ivanowna, without being able to account 
for it, experienced a slight shiver which startled 
her; at the same time, and also involuntarily, the 
visage of the prince became suddenly pale. 

As we have previously said, all the court were 
assembled in one of the drawing-rooms of the 
ground floor. The young princesses and Walpurga 
de Heiligenthal had surrendered themselves entirely 
to the pleasures of this fete. The young Count Wal- 
demar was also there. He was somewhat pale. 
He was asked if he was not ill. 

“I have had, during two days, an atrocious head- 
ache,” said he, and his eyes, while thus speaking, 
rested boldly on Najeska Ivanowna. At the arrival 
of the princess, the young man had already en- 
deavored to approach her; but the very evident 
attentions of the king rendered his game impossible. 
Under this look she felt herself grow pale and lose 
countenance. Very fortunately, the little Princess 
Helene of Thessaly, running to her, put an end to 
her embarrassment. 

“We have had horses put to the great char-a- 
lane,” said the little girl, “and all of us children are 
going in it together. You, Madame V Ambassadrice, 
as an official personage,” and her little royal high- 
ness smiled, “will be obliged to go very properly 
and fatigue yourself in a carriage.” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


117 


Some moments after, all the company having 
assembled, they set out. 

There could never have been a more charming 
day chosen. The sky without a cloud was of an 
intense blue; the atmosphere, not too warm, was 
embalmed with the perfume which exhaled from 
the blossoming trees. 

“How good it would be to live,” thought the sad 
Najeska Ivanowna, “if, like the stings of gnats, so 
many cruel cares were not there to constantly 
torment you during this short life! Ever since the 
assassination, that rigid corpse was before her eyes. 
She appealed loudly to every distraction that was 
able to deliver her from this besetting vision. 

At the Lenisen-Waldchen everybody alighted 
from the carriage. In the middle of the woods was 
a large sheet of water upon which swans and wild 
ducks majestically glided, wrestling with grace and 
rapidity with the boatmen who, by the means of 
some white oars, were riding in elegant little wher- 
ries the amateurs of navigation. 

All around this pond a green and tufted grass was 
growing ; flexible weeping willows and many other 
trees cast their lengthened shadows in the mirror of 
the water, as smooth as glass. The light skiffs were 
all anchored in a little bay situated in the middle of 
the pond. 

“If we could have a boat-ride!” suddenly cried the 
oldest betrothed couple. 

The Princess Aline and the Grand Duke Ivan 
Alexandrowitch remained silent, this proposition 
not appearing to absolutely enrapture them ; but the 
king seized the ball at the bound. 

That yvouU he eharroing, Agusta,” gaid he to his 


118 


EEB ROYAL LOVER. 


eldest daughter, ‘‘and we will have out all the 
boats.” 

Hardly had the idea been expressed, before the 
king put it in execution. He said something in a 
low tone to his chamberlain, who, approaching an 
old boatman, communicated to him the orders of the 
king. 

Mineleko, whose jealous eye lost none of the acts 
and gestures of his majesty, remarked that among 
the little boats that they were bringing, there was 
several of those long and slender wherries which 
could contain only two persons. Kow he knew that 
the king, skillful in all the exercises of the body, 
was an emerited rower whose passion had been, 
during the life-time of the late queen, to row during 
the evening entire hours upon this silent pond. 
There, listening tenderly to the sweet voice of his 
companion singing his favorite airs, he rowed slowly 
and enjoyed with pleasure one of the best pastimes 
that the cares of royalty left him. These narrow 
boats had been constructed for those tete-a-tete 
promenades ; the king never desiring a third party 
between himself and wife. 

All the preparations of the boatmen being com- 
pleted, they prepared to embark. 

“Prince,” said the king, smiling, “will you intrust 
to me, during a half hour only, the life of Madame 
le Ambassadrice. I will answer for it to you with 
my own, and I swear you that nothing grievous will 
happen to her.” 

What response is there to a royal command? Ig 
it not an order? The Prince de Mineleko, suffocat- 
ing with indignation, could not speak ; he bowed his 
head silently and this profound inclination was an 
affirmative response, The king entered the wherrj 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


119 


first, then, extending his hand to the ambassadress, 
he seated her opposite to him. 

The jealous husband, losing his presence of mind, 
was preparing to enter quickly in a second bark, 
which was to follow near the first, when the master 
of ceremonies stopped him. 

“ This wherry is prepared for the Princess Agusta 
and her fiance,” said obsequiously and very politely 
the chamberlain to the ambassador. 

Where and with whom was Mineleko put? Per- 
haps he would never had known, for all his attention 
was concentrated upon the light bark which was 
bearing away the king and his wife, if feeling a 
hand falling upon his shoulder, he had not recovered 
consciousness. It was that of the young Count de 
Heiligenthal, almost as dismayed as himself. In- 
stinctively, the prince felt that the heart of this 
young man was filled with as much bitterness as his 
own. 

Why does jealousy render the perceptions more 
acute? In truth, with the first glance of the eye 
cast on Heiligenthal, the ambassador saw to what 
an extent this man loved his wife ; he divined that 
he also was, equally, tortured by the attentions of 
the king. 

What were the sensations which took possession 
of the unhappy husband, between his jealousy 
against the king, and that which Heiligenthal in- 
spired in him? 

“They appear very gay, very happy!” the young 
pount said, bitterly, to the prince. 

Mineleko did not answer. He was thinking-^ 
which, of those two men, like him adoring the per- 
fidious woman, COUld he strangle with the greatest 


120 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


pleasure? Such was the only thought which was 
absorbing the ambassador. 

The picnic was prolonged. The evening was far 
advanced when they thought of returning. Woe to 
ITajeska Ivanowna! for, creeping toward them at a 
moment when Madame de Mineleko and the king 
believed themselves alone, the Count de Heiligen- 
thal surprised the following conversation : 

“I must see you alone the day after to-morrow,” 
murmured the king. 

“That will be very difficult, your majesty!” 

“No; nothing more easy, more natural, if you will 
follow my instructions. The day after to-morrow will 
be Thursday ; that day your husband dispatches the 
principal courier of the week, and at three o’clock 
the government messenger must be ready to set 
out ; it will be impossible then for him to accompany 
you on your morning ride. Ah, well! let us profit of 
this propitious moment, and let us meet on the lawn 
which is at the back of my Parc-aux-Cerfs, near the 
pavilion that I am desirous to show you.” 

“Since your majesty commands, I am really 
obliged to obey, but ” 

“There is no ‘but,’” said the sovereign, quickly. 
“The king commanding,” added he, smilingly, “you 
become irresponsible for this slight infraction. I 
alone will be culpable.” 

“And what hour does your majesty select?” 

“I will take the hour which will suit you the 
best.” 

“At half past ten, then.” 

“ That is well. The day after to-morrow^ at half 
past ten,” 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


121 


CHAPTER XV, 

REPULSED. 

The interment of the assassinated Kassan, at- 
tracted a considerable crowd to the palace of the 
embassy. On seeing the sad convoy depart, Min- 
eleko was haunted by the thought that this bit of 
paper which he had in his possession might per- 
haps set justice upon the track of the criminal, 
while he, in spite of his search for vengeance, was 
obliged to spare him who had probably been a 
nocturnal lover of his wife, in order to save her. 
But, let us anticipate a little in order to put an end 
to this lugubrious incident. 

The investigation was still pursued during the 
several weeks, and although one or two useless 
arrests of people who, for want of evidence had 
been immediately released again, had been made, 
they were obliged in the end to abandon the affair. 
The whole budget of papers was filed in the registry 
office. With a weary sigh, the magistrate was 
obliged to conclude that here again was one of those 
crimes which justice would never unravel. The 
clerk inscribed the number and disposition upon the 
cover of the said budget, and the journals speaking 
no longer of it, the affair gradually fell into oblivion. 

Now, let us return to the day in which Xajeska 
was to meet the king. In Thessaly, this year, the 
spring was far advanced and admirable. Each day 
arose more beautiful and sunny than its predecessor. 
Xajeska Ivanovna, far from suspecting that Heilig-^ 
enthal bad surprised the request of the Idng fora 


122 


HEB BOYAL LOVEB. 


rendezvous, and seeing her husband tranquil, in ap- 
pearance at least (he had not made any scene since 
the day before), felt reviving in her the pleasures of 
life, so quickly youth forgets even the most terrible 
impressions. Bless me I what happiness, if this 
jealousy, which since the day of her marriage had 
left her neither relaxation nor repose, would quiet 
her, at last, and would permit her to enjoy a little 
peace and tranquillity. 

“ Will you ride with me, this morning, my friend?” 
asked, a little hypocritically, the trembling Najeska 
Ivanowna, on Thursday morning. 

Was she pleased or annoyed by the attentions of 
the king? Did he interest her a little as a man, or 
simply on account of his prestige as a crowned 
head? The whole night she had risked herself 
these questions; for half-frightened, and half-flat- 
tered by this interview which he had imposed on 
her, she did not seem to be able to define clearly 
that which was passing in her. Seized by a vague 
uneasiness, she was for a moment upon the point 
of confessing all to her husband. To a husband less 
jealous, less violent, she would have certainly done 
so. But, alas! she knew what each confidence had 
cost her! He had always refused to admit the entire 
accuracy of that which she had related to him, and 
his suspicious character, his ill-balanced nerves, led 
him to believe that she concealed from him half of 
the truth. 

For him all proceeded from her; if such avowals 
had been uttered by her lovers, it was because she 
had attracted them by her frivolity, her coquetries. 

He remained convinced that she exaggerated one 
part and abridged the other; wheq^ on the con- 
trary^ the lively and ineqnsideyate character of 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


123 


Najeska Ivanowna made her the most veracious 
and most natural person in the world. Without any 
diplomacy, she had inclined to confidence and in- 
genuousness, without foreseeing the consequences of 
her disclosures, it was necessary that she related all 
that which she knew, all that which happened to 
her. 

Recalling the scenes of the past, she said to her- 
self, that to avoid them there was only one means, 
to be silent ! 

The king was right. Her husband was too much 
the slave of his duty, to neglect the affairs of his 
government and go out before having dispatched 
the courier with the most important dispatches of 
the week. 

Followed by her groom, she set out, then, at ten 
o’clock precisely ; for in order to arrive at the Parc- 
aux-Cerfs, it required fully half an hour. Since 
the murder of poor Kassan, she had, notwithstand- 
ing the elasticity of her youth, become very nervous, 
and this terrible episode was mingled with all her 
thoughts. 

The interment of the previous day had affected 
her very much ; but, gradually, this cruel remem- 
brance and all the uneasiness which assailed her 
was dissipated by the invigorating air of the morn- 
ing. After all, what harm was she doing? The 
king had not requested anything very serious of 
her. 

And while, the bridle upon his neck, she was 
letting her horse guide himself, she dreamed now 
no longer of the king, but much of the man. There 
was no use to deny it; the man was exceedingly 
fascinating. That was a gentleman, full of intelli- 
gence, filled with tact and magnanimit7. 


124 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


It was truly very flattering to be noticed by such 
a personage ! but — she was not going to love him, at 
least! Oh, no! no! Had she not sworn before the 
very altar of Christ to preserve an inviolable fidelity 
to her husband? Then, by a sudden transition, there 
appeared to her the contorted face of her husband, 
such as she had seen it in the scene in which he 
had given latitude to his furious jealousy. Near 
liim, as if in contact, the grave, but however, smiling 
countenance of the king, came and placed itself, 
filled with a tender interest for her. Yes, the king, 
so imposing in his gorgeous white uniform of the 
cuirassiers, was really handsome ! 

One could easily love him, and love him for him- 
self. 

Continuing to muse thus, she arrived at the Parc- 
aux-Cerfs. Sometime before reaching the lawn, 
near the little pavilion that the king had desig- 
nated, she perceived the groom of his majesty. 
Resting upon his horse, he was holding that of the 
king by the bridle. The monarch had already 
arrived, then? She really saw him, at some dis- 
tance, seated upon a secluded bench. At her ap- 
proach, he arose quickly and came to meet her. 

“ How kind it is of you to have come, Madame le 
Ambassadrice !” 

Najeska Ivanowna responded, smilingly, ‘‘that a 
desire of the king ought to be a command for her.” 

“Well! allow me to aid you to alight, for I seri- 
ously and honestly wish you to visit my little 
pavilion, and admire the panorama which is un- 
folded before its windows.” 

Najeska Ivanowna obeyed. Light as a feather, 
she fluttered to the earth, her baud iu that of the 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


125 


“Could you, without too much fatigue, ascend this 
hill?” demanded his majesty, “for it will be neces- 
sary for us to take a very steep little wooded path.” 

“ I fear no bodily exercise,” said the young woman, 
smiling. 

As long as the king felfc the indiscreet presence of 
the two grooms, he was the courteous gentleman, 
very correct and very ceremonious with the princess. 
But hardly had he disembarrassed himself of all 
external shackles, then, taking the arm of Madame 
de Mineleko, he passed it lovingly under his own. 
The contact of this round and lovely arm made the 
heart of the king palpitate, and Najeska Ivanowna 
felt also a strange and new happiness within her. 
They scarcely spoke, as if an agreeable embarrass- 
ment had taken possession of them. Is it this ab- 
sorption in each other which hinders them from 
hearing the rustling of a step in an alley, parallel to 
that which they are following? Or did they take 
this slight rustling for the warbling of some birds, 
who were mysteriously cooing in the branches? 

A good half-hour before the king and Madame de 
Mineleko had arrived to the Parc-aux-Cerfs, a cava- 
lier had entered, all alone, in the wooden alley 
which bordered upon the pavilion. Dismounted 
from his horse, which he had tied to a tree, he ap- 
peared to wait for some one. 

But the king and Madame de Mineleko, in this 
moment of happiness, were thinking nothing of 
spies ! 

But this young man, however, whose soul was 
ovei-flowing with hate and jealousy was a spy, and a 
very formidable one. Thus, this woman whom he 
loved to idolatry, this woman who always repulsed 
him, each time that he made advances, preferred 


126 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


the king to him — the king, twenty years older than 
he! A terrible sentiment was making his heart 
beat and was impelling him to vengeance and 
crime ! Ah ! his vengeance, he held it now 1 

In a trice, he would be in the town ; he would send 
immediately a letter to the husband of the unfaith- 
ful wife. He would tell him where and with whom, 
at this moment, he would find his wife. 

Written, since the evening on which he had sur- 
prised the conversation of the king and the ambas- 
sadress, if he had not yet sent it, it was because he 
knew how many things can prevent a projected 
rendezvous. This morning even, he had not acted 
as soon as he would have liked to, because he wished 
to assure himself first, that the guilty parties would 
come to the little pavilion. It is, there, shut up all 
alone, that he will oblige the jealous husband to 
surprise them. 

Heiligenthal, seeing them happy, felt himself 
goaded by the greatest excitement to crime. Stifiing 
the last scruples of his conscience, he became the 
infamous informer. 

A spoiled child, to whom all his caprices had 
always been granted, he recognized, at present, 
neither faith nor law; his base and evil passions 
were his only masters, those to whom his very will 
was subservient. So, this woman, because she had 
complete empire over the king, believed that she 
could, with impunity, play with him the elegant, 
the recherche habitue of the saloons of the capital I 
All puffed up with pride, she dared to jump with 
both feet upon the heart which he had gone to offer 
her! Well! she should see, the imprudent woman, 
what it would cost her to have for an enemy a 
Waldemar of Heiligouchal, twice betrayed by her, 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


127 


the first time when she was his fiancee, and now, as 
the wife of another. 

The king and Madame de Mineleko were con- 
tinuing silently to ascend the sinuous and narrow 
path, which conducted them to the object of their 
promenade. Entirely absorbed in the pleasures of 
this precious tete-a-tde, they were abandoning them- 
selves, without reservation, to the delights of this 
spring morning, whose warmth, perfumed by the 
odoriferous scents which were escaping from the 
gigantic oak, as well as from the least blade of 
grass, was enveloping them in a voluptuous happi- 
ness. For them, the word no longer existed ; life 
belonged to them alone ; thus were they far from 
thinking of that furious hate, which was brooding 
so near them, and whose effect was soon going to be 
felt in such a terrible fashion. 

The tall grass, enameled with flowers, which was 
growing under the close arches of the trees, was 
more velvety than the softest plush. The shade 
was so dense that only when a rare vista was made 
through the trees, one could perceive, in the dis- 
tance, the meadows where the stupid cows were 
grazing, upon whose muzzles, the flies that the 
warmth attracted, were alighting by thousands. 
The wind was as if extinguished or dead. The 
leaves remained immovable even under the breath 
of the fiery sun. The heat, already canicular, was 
weighing heavily upon this hot spring day. 

The king stopped very often ; it seemed that he 
wished to enjoy, slowly, the delight which he was 
experiencing. Madame de Mineleko, her heart 
filled with a delicious confusion, but quite timid, 
quite intimidated, however, allowed herself to be 
submissively guided by him. 


128 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


“How happy this promenade makes me!” said the 
king, suddenly, as if coming out of an agreeable 
reverie. “Are you fatigued, madam?” 

“I have told your majesty, that I am rarely 
fatigued.” 

This affirmation was so much in opposition with 
the frail and delicate appearance of the young 
lady, that the king, whose heart was very easily 
affected, gently pressed her arm, and said to her, 
lovingly: 

“ I fear very much, princess, that your great self- 
forgetfulness often deludes you about your strength, 
about your faculty of enduring everything without 
complaining. You always affirm that your health 
is good, and a smile always beams upon your lips^ 
but, however ” 

Fearing to have acquainted her too much with his 
thought, Charles Ferdinand XVIII was suddenly 
silent. 

“But, however what?” demanded the young 
woman, tranquilly. 

“Well ! since you force me to speak, I will explain 
to you all that which this ‘however’ signifies. The 
heaviness of that chain, which rivets you to that 
jealous man— who must often make you tremble — is 
a mystery to no one. Everybody knows how violent 
and passionate he is; he is so much so, that one 
may often be unjust in respect to him. But, then, 
if it was not for the testimony of Geheimrath 
Schlotz, who administered the opiate to him, the 
same night as the murder of your domestic, he 
would have certainly incurred a terrible danger, 
ambassador though he is. 

“Sire, sire! you are not going to suspect my hus- 
band of being an assassin?” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


129 


‘‘Certainly not. No, I simply state that incident, 
and I make no allusion to the anecdotes whispered 
about Mineleko, since your marriage. Thus, during 
the time that we are walking here, without thinking 
of forfeiting honor,” continued the king, “who 
knows if the terrible specter of this new Othello will 
not spring up from some of these trees, and, taking 
us unawares, will not turn upon us the muzzle of 
his revolver, and pull the trigger without even 
thinking to listen to us.” 

“Ah, sire! they have exaggerated the truth to 
you. My husband is jealous, it is true, but not to 
that extent. And in order for your majesty to 
speak thus, they must have told many tales about 
us before our arrival.” 

“They always talk much about an ambassador 
whom they expect, as of his wife, whom they de- 
sire,” said the sovereign, very gallantly, avoiding 
thus to respond to the direct question that the 
young woman asked him. 

“And of lesser personages, also; is it not so? But 
will you permit me to be very frank with your 
majesty?” said she, suddenly, summoning up all her 
courage. “ If it is true that I am the wife of a man, 
such as you portray my husband ; if it is true that 
you have, as you make me forbode too well, con- 
ceived some affection for me — then, on account of 
this mistrustful and unhappy character, in con- 
sideration of your ‘sympathy’ — do not be, thus osten- 
sibly, so amiable for me.” 

At these words, at this prayer pronounced in a 
tone which was not to be mistaken, the king grew 
pale. 

“ That means, then, that you think that I begin to 
pay you a little too much attention?” 


130 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


“A little— yes.” 

“And that displeases you?” 

“Oh, no, sire!— no; I did not mean to say that.” 

“Then, what do you mean? Notwithstanding all 
the happiness that I experience to be thus absolutely 
alone with you, if it is nceessary for your tran- 
quillity for me to leave you, I will immediately 
withdraw. I am ready to do so, whatsoever it will 
cost me ; but, do not ask me to cease to pay atten- 
tion to you, to cease to endeavor to please you, in 
order to attain to making myself loved as much as I 
love you ! That, dear heart, is beyond my strength. 
I could promise you it, but I could not keep it. Ah ! 
that I were your brother, your father even, or a 
friend so intimate that I might defend you, against 
one and against all, in every circumstance of your 
life, so agitated, so unjustly unhappy!” cried, sud- 
denly and passionately, the sovereign, allowing free 
course to the passion which was consuming him. 

None of those atrocious and so often repeated 
scenes, which she had had to submit to from her 
suspicious husband, had agitated Najeska Ivan- 
owna, as much as the burning words of the amorous 
king. Had she gone too far with him? or had she 
permitted herself to be too much carried awa}^ by 
the novel sensation which was entirely usurping 
her? In this moment, the king appeared so noble, 
so chivalrous, that her isolated heart, so avaricious 
of a sure and devoted support, commenced to enjoy 
all the charm which the fervent language, the ex- 
pression of the king's emotion was kindling in her. 

“How good you are!” murmured she, very low. 
“But, why do you speak thus of defending me? Do 
you believe that I have need of a defender? Is 
calumny, then, much incensed against me?” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


131 


A profound sentiment of bitterness was perceptible 
in the voice of the young woman. Alas ! she knew, 
only too well, how many enemies her beauty and 
the wealth of her husband, had created among 
women, and even among men, especially among 
those, who, provoked by their repulsed homages, 
had wished to avenge themselves, by endeavoring 
to attack her in her life, to abase her in her reputa- 
tion. Although young, she had paid to know how 
many of those fables a venomous tongue had quickly 
invented — fables, which skillfully whispered, pene- 
trate everywhere, infectious miasma, casting thus 
to the ban of society, a woman of a pure and un- 
blemished reputation! How many times had she 
been wounded in her pride, in her dignity, without 
having deserved any other blame than that of an 
innocent inexperience which enters, head foremost, 
in the snares with which the demon of evil sur- 
rounds it I 

In spite of some immaterial indiscretions, of no 
consequence save for those who had advantageously 
used them, Hajeska Ivanowna had remained the 
bravest of little women, guarding faithfully her 
honest principles, and the oaths sworn before the 
altar. Did not the king remark the poignant bitter- 
ness which, like a black and heavy cloud, came 
suddenly to obscure this young and lovely brow? or 
did he intentionally pursue the conversation? He 
still continued, thus : 

‘‘If you have need of a defender! But, can a 
beauty like yours dispense with one? Are you igno- 
rant, then, of the rage which it excites in the hearts 
of other women?” 

“Then, sire, if before having seen me, you have 


132 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


heard nothing but calumnies about me, you can 
hardly desire my presence at your court?” 

“Much to the contrary! I am always sure, when 
I hear evil spoken of a woman, that she merits ad- 
miration, and this hate, excited by jealousy, incites 
in me an eager desire to know the accused.” 

“May I, without being indiscreet, ask you what 
they have been able to say against me?” replied the 
princess, essaying a sad smile. 

“What! you desire me to recollect all?” 

“ Oh, no ! that would be too much, perhaps ! But 
endeavor, at least, to recall a part,” insisted the 
ambassadress. 

“That which you demand, princess, is very deli- 
cate.” 

“Truly, that is one reason the more why I am 
eager to know more.” 

“Well! — they say that your husband is constantly 
obliged to have duels on account of you,” responded 
the king, with an ever so little embarrassed air, 
who perceived too late the mistake he had made in 
entarxgling himself in so delicate a subject. 

“They spoke falsely, sire.” 

“ But, however, this duel with H , in the capital 

of Flanders?” 

“Has been a very lamentable assault, it is true, 
owed to a fit of jealousy unexpectedly aroused in my 
husband.” 

“And you did not love this young man?” 

“Not the least in the world; I had never even 
thought of it ; I confess, however, that I have been 
afflicted by his death.” 

“And you have never loved any but your hus- 
band?” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


133 


‘"Sire,” the princess haughtily replied, ‘‘I have 
been educated to know that, during her life, the love 
of a woman belongs only to one man alone — him 
whose name she bears — and if she cannot give her 
heart to him, she must at least keep it whole and 
pure, and not surrender it to another. Then, your 
majesty, do not occupy yourself with me. Misled, 
by the calumnies distributed about me, you have 
taken me for another woman than that which I am. 
I bear you no ill will for it, but if, notwithstanding 
the principles that I have just expressed to you, it 
would please you to continue an attention that here- 
after I should regard as an offense, understand well 
that alone, without any assistance whatsoever, I 
would know how to' make myself respected, and 
make you remember, sire, the respect that every 
man owes to a woman.” 

While speaking thus, Madame de Mineleko abrupt- 
ly withdrew her arm from that of the king. 

Bare-headed, for Najeska Ivanowna, friend of the 
air, had long since removed her hat, she was so 
beautiful thus, in her revolt of womanly pride and 
purity, that the king, as if in ecstasy, could not 
remove his eyes from her; he was ravished, and 
more and more subjugated. The sun, as if wishing 
to confirm the noble words issued from those rosy 
lips, was playing graciously in the great knot of 
her chestnut hair, and making a brilliant halo 
around this brow, completely covered with the 
crimson of indignation. 

Oh ! if Mineleko had seen her thus ! if it had been 
permitted him to perceive this woman, standing 
proudly before the king, who was now ashamed of 
the desires which a moment ago had had possession 
of his mind, he would have comprehended, at last, 


134 


UER ROYAL LOVER, 


the great confidence which he could repose in this 
lovely, noble creature ! 

With her kind, her habitually indulgent insou- 
ciance, the ambassadress quickly forgot that which 
had just taken place. 

They had now arrived at the pavilion. The king 
gently pushed the door open, and Najeska Ivanowna 
entered into the little marble temple. As if she had 
divined a peril in remaining alone with this en- 
amored man, the beautiful amazon, light as a hind, 
sprang from an open window from whence the land- 
scape was visible. 

“Goodness! what a magnificent view!” cried she, 
enraptured by the splendor of the panorama which 
was unfolded before her. 

Indeed, there was nothing more beautiful than the 
site chosen for the Parc-aux-Cerfs. In this little 
hunting-seat all was marvelous. How radiantly, 
in the presence of this grand and magnificent uni- 
verse, the purified soul was borne toward the limit- 
less regions of the infinite. This pavilion, con- 
structed at a great expense, upon a high elevation, 
had a vast horizon, in which the sight was lost, 
confounding together the sky and the earth. From 
this culminating point, they embraced the whole 
deep valley wherein, similar to a lovely jewel es- 
caped from its casket of verdure and of hills, was 
nestled the little capital city, whose massive towers, 
whose slender and elegant belfries were so many 
black points, detached from a clear sky. 

In the distance some mountains arose, forming 
thus a half-circle around the Thessalian capital, 
vigilant sentinels, posted by nature, whose gigantic 
mass seemed to oppose on all sides the invasion of 
an enemy as well as the irruption of a malevolent 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


135 


wind. At the bottom, the little River Saave, with 
its clear and tranquil water, was meandering quite 
blue, in the diaphanous atmosphere of this splendid 
May day. 

Arrived at the apogee of its course, the day-star 
was in the height of its splendor ; the intense heat 
of its rays, falling almost perpendicularly, was 
tempered by a light zephyr, whose gentle breath 
was driving fleecy clouds in the inflnity of space, 
which, like flakes of cotton, were softly arising from 
the base of the chain of mountains, and were disap- 
pearing as if to surrender a passage to these bristling 
summits, menacing the heavens even. 

The valley and the sides of the mountains had 
surrendered to the labor of man ; that conquest was 
his work. What perseverance had he not indeed 
displayed, in order to succeed in converting this 
sterile and inhospitable earth into the rich and 
prosperous country which was spread out under the 
eyes of the two spectators ! The struggle certainly 
had been great, but great also was the victory ; it 
had been difficult to say which excelled, whether 
the gigantic and imposing spectacle of this privil- 
eged spot, or this admirable and abundant vegeta- 
tion, plucked and conquered by the will and genius 
of man. 

Like the squares of a chess-board, vast tracts of 
cultivated flelds were delineated on all sides, whose 
different colors formed a mixture as picturesque as 
original. There were enormous patches of colza, 
whose rich harvest of blossoms imparted their color, 
yellow as that of a topaz ; here, immense fields dis- 
appeared under the deep violet leaves of the mangel- 
wurzel, veritable amethysts of the fields; farther 
still, all was white ; it was the abundant harvest of 


136 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


potatoes in blossom, coming to give to the dis- 
inherited of society the assurance that they should 
feel no hunger. All this landscape was animated 
by the coming and going of peasant men and 
women, who, to the melancholy sounds of their 
sweet and rhythmical songs, zealously applied them- 
selves without relaxation to their labor. 

The revival of spring was regenerating entire 
nature ; it was a general festival. The blackbird, in 
his black robe ; the bullfinch, in his red dress, were 
warbling joyous trills, adding, thus, their gay and 
harmonious notes to the concert offered by the 
Author of all things. 

‘‘How beautiful it is!” said the king. “Can one, 
on such a day, suffer the trifies of life to affect 
him?” 

Hajeska Ivanowna, struck by all that splendor, 
by all that brilliant light, was dazzled. The king, 
feeling himself a little in disgrace, was very humble. 

“Confess to me,” said he, softly, “that in the pres- 
ence of this lovely nature, the little indignation that 
I have quite involuntarily but just now excited in 
your heart is now appeased, and that you pardon 
me.” 

“One only pardons the guilty,” responded the prin- 
cess, graciously. 

“ And have I not been so, a little, in speaking as I 
have done?” 

“This time, I have imitated the example of my 
husband.” 

“How so?” 

“In growing angry with your majesty, I have 
only followed the impulse of a lively irritation, 
provoked by the persistent malignity of other women 
against me.” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


137 


“Then you confess that it was not through my 
fault that your indignation was aroused?” 

“I always willingly confess my errors.” 

“ Then you do not detest me, you do not hate me, 
as that pretty little burst of indignation, with which 
your eyes and voice were quite full, have made me 
fear so much?” 

“I cannot hate your majesty, especially if you 
consent to reflect upon that which I have just told 
you.” 

“ Which is equivalent to saying, that in considera- 
tion of the suspicious nature of your husband, I 
must conduct myself like a good little dog in leash,” 
said the king, maliciously, “ and never pay any more 
attentions to you.” 

“Yes, honestly, loyally, it is that which I mean. 
It is indispensable that, hereafter, you do not occupy 
yourself with me.” 

At these words, a vivid blush covered the face 
and neck of the young woman. Never had she ap- 
peared so fascinating to the king, more deeply 
smitten than he had hitherto believed himself. 

Taking in his own, the little trembling hand of 
Najeska Ivanowna, he murmured, almost in her 
ear.- 

“You are, then, very much afraid of me?” 

“Yes, on account of my husband.” 

“Dear, trembling one!” said the king, with emo- 
tion, and he endeavored to place his lips upon the 
lovely arm, at the place where the short glove of 
the equestrienne ceased; but she, on seeing the 
dangerous and increasing emotion which was gain- 
ing on him, gently disengaged herself. 

“ I pray you, permit me to depart I I wish to re- 
turn ! said she, perturbed. 


138 


HEB BOYAL LOVEB, 


“Not before telling me when I could see you 
again.” 

“But do I know? You have spoken yourself of 
the jealousy of my husband ” 

“ Go, then ! the happiness of everybody must be 
sacrificed to, ” 

“To him whom I have no right to betray.” 

“ This is exaggerated ! What have I done, then, 
for you to make such a cheap disposition of the 
pleasure which I experience in your society? I must 
see you again, and alone. I implore you, do not 
refuse me ! I detest nothing so much as to perceive 
you in the midst of a crowd, where you belong to 
every one, when I would have you only for myself. 
Yet once more, I entreat you!” 

“Well, then — come,” she hesitated. 

“ Say — say quickly ! When ? Where ? 

“Here, next week.” 

“Next week! eight whole days! Oh! no— to- 
morrow; say to-morrow.” 

“To-morrow? that is too soon. You may come 
when the first quarter of the moon will have ap- 
peared in the heavens. And now, sire,” (already she 
commanded without thinking), “reconduct me to my 
horse. What time can it be? Oh! eleven already? 
I have only time to hasten.” 

And, like a mutinous child, sure of her empire, 
she darted forward, descending quickly the path so 
painfully climbed a short time ago, closely followed 
by the king. 

Immovable, almost side by side, the two grooms 
were waiting in the tall grass of the forest. 

Thus, as he had removed her, an hour before, it 
was the king who replaced the charming eques- 
trienne in her saddle. 


UER ROYAL LOVER. 


139 


“Adieu!” said she, and giving a light blow of the 
whip to her horse, she disappeared in the depths of 
the tall forest. 


CHAPTER XVI. 

THE WHIP. 

At eleven o’clock, the Prince de Mineleko was en- 
tirely absorbed in the dispatches of his government. 
From his secretary, like the general of the army, he 
was directing his secretaries, who, under his haughty 
surveillance, were actively employed in the expedi- 
tion of the weekly courier. This certainly was no 
small or slight labor, this work of Thursday ; during 
its duration, the ambassador, who rarely laughed, 
severe upon himself, became terrible for the others 
if they had the misfortune to commit the slightest 
error. This day, the door of the cabinet was strictly 
forbidden to every one. The silence, however, is 
suddenly interrupted; it is the faithful Vassili, who, 
after having softly knocked at the door, enters 
noiselessly. 

It was the same hour in which Najeska Ivanowna 
was with the king, in the pavilion of the Parc-aux- 
Cerfs. 

“ A very urgent letter, but this moment delivered 
for his highness,” said Vassili. 

“Who has brought it?” 

“I do not know, monseigneur.” 

“Do they wait for an answer?” 

“No, monseigneur, but the person has said that it 
was so urgent, that they entreated your highness to 
read it immediately.” 

“It is well!” and, with a gesture, the prince dis- 
missed Vassili. 


140 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


Hardly had the latter quitted the apartment be- 
fore the prince opened the note. This is what he 
read: 

“ If you wish to know where the Princess of Min- 
eleko is at present, go, without losing a moment, 
and rejoin her in the hunting pavilion, in the Parc- 
aux-Cerfs ; there, if you make haste, you will find 
her in the arms of his 'majesty.’ ” 

No signature to this letter, traced by a hand skill- 
ful in counterfeiting its writing. The paper, smooth 
and white, such as you may buy anywhere, had no 
distinctive mark which might have set one on the 
track of the author. 

A cloud, quick as a flash of lightning, abruptly 
obscured the sight of the ambassador; his heart, 
bounding under this terrible blow, commenced to 
beat so in his breast, that he believed that it was 
going to break. 

Without reasoning, without reflecting, listening 
only to the fury which, like an immense wave, was 
chasing all logic from his mind, he took an extreme 
resolution. Did not the letter say that there was 
not a moment to lose, in order to surprise the guilty 
parties? Then why delay in hesitations ; he should 
act. Einging violentlv : 

“ Saddle ‘Enfer’ immediately,” said he, briefly, to 
a domestic who appeared. 

He was so bewildered that, for a moment, he for- 
got his lofty functions as ambassador. Eecalled to 
a sentiment of reality by the entrance of his first 
secretary, he, the man so autocratic, so despotic, 
said to him quickly, seeking, if one may say so, to 
excuse himself, for this precipitate departure at such 
an important moment : 

" Gairatinski, be not surprised at this urgent ab- 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


141 


sence, which cannot be of long duration. I will be 
back before an hour, and we will still have all the 
time necessary for the courier at three o’clock.” 

This phrase, calmly delivered, was the result alone 
of the routine and the force of his diplomatic habits ; 
notwithstanding the empire which this man of iron 
exercised over himself, the secretary, a very close 
observer, divined immediately that a great trouble 
was agitating his master ; for, whatsoever effort he 
made to conceal it, his mobile physiognomy was 
betraying him. 

It had been agreed, between the king and Madame 
de Mineleko, that in parting from each other, she 
should take the direct road leading to the city, 
while he would take the one to the right, a little 
more circuitous. 

When she was alone, Najeska Ivanowna began to 
reflect seriously on the delicate and almost danger- 
ous position in which she found herself with the 
king. Letting the reins hang carelessly upon her 
horse’s neck, who commenced to walk tranquilly, 
she followed the course of her thoughts. “What 
would be the issue of this labyrinth, in which her 
beauty, her imprudence perhaps, had so uncon- 
sciously thrown her? How much had she not borne, 
to regret this amiability, this graciousness with 
which she innocently attracted everybody? Why 
could she not, like another woman, cling to the 
evasion of an obligatory departure, which would 
compel her to leave this court, this palace where, 
she felt only too well, that great misfortunes were 
hovering over her ! But no ! all was escaping her, 
even the most ordinary means ; the abyss was there, 
yawning under her feet ; each day it was hollowing 


142 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


deeper. Yet, a few hours more, and she would be 
ingulfed in it. 

Thus, because she was Princess of Mineleko, Am- 
bassadress of Caucasus, she was obliged to go for- 
ward to meet the danger, which she felt was 
inevitable, implacable. 

“My God! why did she not understand, like 
others, to show her preferences, her aversions? 
Why did this affability, suggested by her heart, 
fearing to wound, to afflict, give her that enchant- 
ing smile which, like a sunbeam, shone equally on 
all?” 

What reproaches had she not already received 
from her husband, who, in spite of his whims was, 
theoretically speaking, generally right. 

How to change her character? her individuality? 
Had she not often labored at it? What had been 
the result? Always the same difficulties, always the 
same vexations. 

Entirely lost in the labyrinth of her contradictory 
reflections, she did not hear the precipitate steps of a 
panting horse which was coming toward her. 

She had yet seen nothing, perceived nothing, 
when already, like a menacing specter, the Prince 
of Mineleko arose before her in the middle of the 
road, obstructing her passage. 

“ Ah 1 I And you at last, madam, this is truly 
fortunate !” 

These words, pronounced with a smothered rage, 
withdrew her suddenly from her thoughts. Kaising 
her head quickly, Najeska Ivanowna vaulted in her 
saddle. Her husband, pale, livid, was facing her. 

“From whence do you come?” 

“ From whence — from whence ” 

The aspect of Mineleko was so terrible, the con- 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


143 


science of Najeska Ivanowna so disturbed, that the 
words expired in her throat. 

‘‘Ah! you hesitate, madam? Know you well that 
it is only criminals who dare not respond! Ah! 
well, I will spare you the trouble of speaking, and 
I will tell you myself from whence you come. You 
come from an assignation with the king, an assigna- 
tion which has taken place, with closed doors, in the 
pavilion of the Parc-aux-Cerfs.” 

During the furious ride which he had just taken, 
the anger of Mineleko had kept augmenting. Each 
phrase of that vile and servile anonymous letter, 
was humming unceasingly in his ears ; he was so 
desperate with fury that he did not even see in the 
apparently deserted road, the little groom of Najeska 
Ivanowna, who had stopped respectfully at fif+y 
paces from his mistress. So the ambassadress, 
paralyzed by terror, did not answer. 

“Will you deny it?” demanded the prince, in a 
terrible voice, excited by hate. 

“No!” 

A strident laugh escaped from the lips of Min- 
eleko. 

“And you accuse me of making jealous scenes on 
account of chimeras ! You must be past mistress in 
this sort of shameless life, to which you appear to 
me to be accustomed, Madame le Ambassadrice ! 
Have you fallen low enough? After having re- 
ceived the king in your apartment, in my house, at 
night ; after having been his accomplice, perhaps, 
in an assassination, you consent to come here to a 
love appointment! It is no longer he already who 
discommodes himself! Do you run enough after 
this insipid beauty? Where, then, do you expect to 


144 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


stop? When will you decide that the measure will 
be sufficiently filled?” 

He remained faithful to his fixed idea that the 
king had come, during the night, to the embassy. 

ISTajeska Ivanowna, stunned, terrified, by all these 
terrible accusations that her husband was accumu- 
lating upon her, instead of defending herself was 
silent. What respond could she have made? Al- 
though she had been able to speak, would he have 
believed her? This silence was, for the infuriated 
husband, irrefutable proof of the culpability of the 
princess. 

What fury and revolt passed in the heart of this 
man, arrived at the paroxysm of madness? Alas! 
did he ever render an account of it to himself? 

Furiously mad, he approaches the poor trembling 
creature : 

“Wretch! miserable creature of perdition!” he 
roared, with rage, his whip raised over the head 
of the young woman. 

“Ah! not that — not that!” implored she, seeing 
his menacing gesture. 

“Not that?” Mineleko hisses, through his closed 
lips. 

An intense redness blinds him. In his brain boils 
the breath of vengeance; his hands are agitated by 
those nervous contractions which produce tremors, 
the precursors of crime. 

A terrible cry has suddenly resounded ; the echoes 
of the forest are moved by it. What has happened? 

Rapid as lightning, the ambassador’s whip has 
risen and fallen three times, and has just 
ignominiously cut the face of Najeska Ivanowna. 
In this terrible moment, the stricken princess be- 
lieves she is lost, for she can no longer see. Then, 


heu royal lover. 


145 


under the shock of this outrage, much more than 
under that of the physical pain which hurts her, the 
unhappy creature, her face seamed with bloody 
cuts, was seized with a nervous attack, then, with 
one cry, followed by another, escaping from her 
breast, she flees. 

All this had passed very rapidly ; the groom, with 
the inattention, the indifference peculiar to his 
class, had, from the beginning, paid no attention to 
this encounter between his master and mistress. 
When he wished to hasten to the assistance of the 
princess, it was already too late. At the cries of 
Kajeska Ivanowna, her mare, a very nervous beast, 
moved by a sudden terror, became excited, and 
galloping giddily, was running with the blindness 
of terrifled horses. 

Mineleko, after this extravagant paroxysm of 
rage, was quickly recalled to the reality and the 
infamy of his conduct. The unhappy man, in whom 
all sense of probity and duty was still paralyzed, did 
not perceive that the mare of the princess was 
bounding; she also, under the insult of the unjust 
and ignominious chastisement, had set up, and was 
running madly to a danger where she and her light 
burden were risking death. 

Persuaded that Najeska Ivanowna was herself 
spurring her course, in order to put a greater dis- 
tance between the executioner and the victim, the 
ambassador quickly plunged in the thick coppice- 
wood which was offering itself as a refuge. What 
terrible moments ought he to pass, thus alone with 
his conscience, whose voice was not quite stifled ! 

The groom, with more sang froid than his master, 
was desperately following in the wake of his mis- 


146 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


tress, endeavoring to rejoin her, to prevent, thus, an 
irreparable disaster. 

Although half-fainting from the loss of blood, 
which was flowing from her face, the nrincess was 
clinging instinctively to the pommel of her saddle. 
She had reached thus, without hindrance, a long 
straight road leading directly to the city ; unfortu- 
nately, at this early hour, this part of the forest was 
completely deserted. It was only at the entrance of 
the residence that some courageous pedestrians, 
flinging themselves at the horse’s head, at last suc- 
ceeded in stopping her. 

Najeska Ivanowna, her face smeared with red 
stains, was unconscious when they lifted her from 
her horse. Carried into a pharmacy, not far distant, 
she received there the first cares indispensable to 
her condition. 

At the sight of the blood with which she was 
covered, they believed her much more dangerously 
injured than she really was. One of the blows had 
fallen above her eye; the other on the temple; and 
a third, back of her ear. This last had been so vio- 
lently struck, that the whip, rebounding on her 
shoulder, had upon its passage cut the little narrow 
collar of her habit. 

Under the ablutions of ice-water, which they first 
applied, the young woman recovered consciousness ; 
her eyes were scarcely opened when the poor groom 
arrived, breathless and trembling. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


147 


CHAPTER XVIL 

NOTE FROM I HE KING. 

His breakfast finished, the king was just retiring 
to his private apartments when his Intend ant Wolff, 
who, at this hour, was the first to make his report, 
entered. 

After communicating the official news, instead of 
taking leave of the king, the Intendant seemed to 
solicit the command to remain and speak. 

“ Is there anything else that you desire to acquaint 
me with?” demanded his majesty. 

“ Sire, the whole city talks of the accident which 
has happened to the Ambassadress of Caucasus.” 

“ An accident happened to the Ambassadress of 
Caucasus!” cried the king. “But, this very morn- 
ing, I have encountered her on horseback, and in 
perfect health ; she appeared to be going toward the 
forest.” 

“Exactly, sire. It was on her return that they 
found her half -fainting, her face all covered with 
blood, clinging to her horse, which was running 
away.” 

The king was so profoundly troubled by this news, 
his heart so eager for details, that, notwithstanding 
he did not wish to betray himself to this man, he 
quickly commanded him to relate all. 

Wolff expatiated upon the accident which, ac- 
cording to the report, had already happened two 
hours ago ; for the breakfast of the king and the 
princess was always prolonged a little. 


148 HER ROYAL LOVER. 

Scarcely had the Intendant retired before the king 
rang. 

An officer of the service appeared. Charles Ferdi- 
nand XVIII gave him the order to go immediately 
and command his chief physician, Geheimrath 
Schlotz, to come to the palace. He knew that this 
man was also the physician of the Minelekos. 

The impatience of the king was great until the 
arrival of the Geheimrath Schlotz; nothing could 
distract his anxious waiting. He was losing himself 
in conjectures. What, great God ! all this had been 
able to happen to Xajeska Ivanowna! They were 
positively speaking of blows of a whip struck on her 
face. But who could have dared to lay a hand upon 
the Ambassadress of Caucasus? 

The arrival of Geheimrath put an end to the 
multitude of questions that the sovereign was ask- 
ing himself. The doctor had, indeed, just left the 
princess, and confirmed in every particular the re- 
cital of Wolff. 

There remained, no doubt, about the kind of 
wounds received. The beautiful equestrienne had 
certainly been brutally struck with a whip. But 
that was not the strangest part of the adventure. 
The princess, not being able to deny the blows, 
whose marks were flagrant, positively refused to 
name the person who had inflicted them. She pre- 
tended not to have recognized him. 

“That, your majesty,” concluded the Geheimrath, 
“is inadmissable ; for, since the ambassadress has 
still had sufficient presence of mind, after the out- 
rage, to cling to her horse, how can we admit that, 
having been struck three times, she would not have 
recognized her assailant?” 

The king remained mute. For him, the report of 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


149 


the Geheimrath gave to this event quite another 
character than that which it could have for the 
generality of the people 

If Najeska Ivanowna thus refused to name him 
who had struck her, it was, then, because this being 
bore a respectable name that she wished to defend 
against public indignation ; was not this man, whom 
she wished still to spare, in spite of all, her hus- 
band? Oh! noble and devoted nature! how well he 
recognized, then, his well-beloved ! 

“Monsieur de Mineleko must be in a frightful 
state,” said the king, suddenly. 

“He will be so, surely, when he returns.” 

“ What! he is not at home?” 

“No, your majesty. He went to take a ride nearly 
an hour after Madame la Princess, and he has not 
yet returned.” 

“Ah! This is astonishing!” thought the king, 
who did not forget that it was precisely on account 
of the prince being absorbed by his weekly courier, 
this day, that he had chosen it for his assignation 
with the ambassadress. But the king, judgin^^ it in 
nowise proper to share his suppositions with any 
one whatever, dismissed the physician. 

So, the doctor had said, that Monsieur de Mineleko 
had gone out an hour after his wife. On connecting 
this strange detail with the obstinate refusal of the 
princess to name her enemy, the king easily recon- 
structed the scene which must have taken place 
between the husband and wife. No longer a doubt, 
the husband, having had some suspicions, had fol- 
lowed his wife, and a violent scene had occurred. 

If Mineleko had not yet returned to the embassy, 
it was because he feared to return there. Oh ! for 
his tranquillity, it would be necessary for him to 


150 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


know all. It was no living to remain in such an 
uncertainty, a thousand times more terrible than the 
truth ! 

To write to Najeska Ivanowna would be very 
dangerous; to go there, still more so. 

Attached to the person of Charles Ferdinand 
XVIII, was an aide-de-camp, on whose discretion 
and fidelity he could rely. 

This favorite was that same Adlersward, whom 
we have seen, one morning, conversing with Min- 
eleko. 

The sudden assault upon the ambassadress was 
the sensational news of the day ; nobody in the city 
was ignorant of it, thus nothing would seem more 
natural, more obligatory even, than the visit of one 
of the king’s aide-de-camps, coming to inquire after 
the interesting invalid. To act thus, was it not, 
moreover, to pay respect to the sovereign of the 
country represented by Monsieur and Madame de 
Mineleko? 

Count Adlersward received, then, the order to re- 
pair to the ambassadress. Furnished with a letter, 
which he was only to deliver to Najeska Ivanowna, 
if he saw her alone ; in the event of his not being 
able to approach the invalid, the messenger was to 
content himself with simply obtaining, by adroit 
means, as many details as possible about the tragical 
assault of the morning. 

When Count Adlersward arrived at the hotel of 
the embassy, the running to and fro which follows 
a great event, the excitement which accompanied it 
had not yet subsided. 

The astonished secretaries were obliged to confess 
that Monsieur de Mineleko had not yet returned. 
Upon confirmation of the prince’s absence, Count 


Em ROYAL LOVER. 


151 


Adlersward asked if he could see the ambassadress, 
and present to her personally the condolences of 
the king. 

“I will go and inquire,” said Prince Gariatinski, 
the first secretary, who had received the king’s aide- 
de-camp. 

ISTajeska Ivanowna, enveloped in a light dressing- 
gown, was extended on a couch in her boudoir. She 
had not wished to be put to bed ; perhaps she had 
not even felt herself strong enough to support being 
entirely undressed. When Prince Gariatinski 
rapped at her door, the young lady was alone 
with her maid ; her head encircled by bandages, 
she appeared half-asleep. With her acute sense of 
hearing, she heard the following phrase which 
Prince Gariatinski was whispering to her maid : 

‘‘Monsieur le Ambassadeur having not yet re- 
turned, Count Adlersward comes, in the king’s 
name, to inquire if he can be received a moment by 
Madame la Princess.” 

The maid approached the invalid and repeated the 
request. 

“ Tell Count Adlersward to enter, and retire until 
I ring for you.” 

When the aide-de-camp penetrated into the dark- 
ened room, he received a shock, on seeing the white 
specter stretched out. Could this creature, so pale, 
be the same as that young, brilliant woman, with 
the carnation of a beautiful full-blown fiower, 
whom he had seen so radiant but a few hours 
before. 

Najeska Ivanowna signed to the king’s aide-de- 
camp to approach her. 

“Madame la Princess,” said he, on presenting the 
sealed note of the king to the ambassadress, “his 


152 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


majesty entreats you to read this, and to give me 
verbally your response, or, if you prefer it, to send 
it to him by writing, as soon as you have strength 
to do so.” 

Najeska Ivanowna broke the royal seal. 

The note contained only a few words, evidently 
written with great precaution, for fear of its falling 
into indiscreet hands, it might still aggravate her 
situation. 

“ Madame la Princess, I pray you to let me know 
when I can come in person to express to you all my 
regrets. If, as soon as you have the strength, you 
will write to me and relate the facts which I deplore, 
without knowing them, you will allay a very great 
disquietude. Charles Ferdinand XVIII.” 

After having read it, Najeska Ivanowna said to 
the count : 

“Thank his majesty for the interest which he 
shows me, and tell him that at present I would not 
dare to write, feeling myself too feeble; but, as 
soon as I shall be able, I will do so immediately.” 

“You have been exceedingly gracious, Madame le 
Ambassadrice, to have been willing to receive me. 
I hope that you will not suffer long from the effects 
of this frightful accident,” Count Adlers ward re- 
sponded. 

The aide-de-camp attempted still, by adroit means, 
to obtain some details, but the ambassadress re- 
mained silent. 

The messenger of the king was forced to retire 
without having obtained the slightest explanation. 

Although it was two o’clock and the courier of the 
Caucasian Empire was to depart at three, the Prince 
of Mineleko had not yet reappeared at the embassy. 
“Hum! this is significant,” Count Adlersward said 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


253 


to himself, on coming to render an account to the 
king of the mission with which he had intrusted 
him. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE FLOWER GIRLS. 

The stupefying news of this assault committed on 
an ambassadress, ran, like a train of powder, through 
the little Thessalian city, scarcely recovered from 
the excitement produced by the violent death of 
Kassan. They thought no longer of anything but 
this event; they spoke of nothing else. Boudoir 
scandals, new politics, all paled before this history, 
which remained a mystery for nearly every one. 

The young Count de Heiligenthal, his head sup- 
ported on his hands, was seated in his office, ap- 
parently absorbed by an interesting study, when 
his sister Walpurga, fluttering like a breath of air, 
entered, in order to relate to him the sensational 
event. 

At that recital, Heiligenthal became livid. 

“What! the Ambassadress of Caucasus has re- 
ceived blows of a whip? She has been the victim of 
an assault?” 

“Yes,” said the mischievous Walpurga, negligent- 
ly. “ They even say that the blows are so severe 
that there is every reason to apprehend cerebral 
fever which, if it should declare itself, would en- 
danger the life of the princess. It is a pity I Such 
a lovely, charming woman!” 

One may perceive that Walpurga was one of those 
rare feminine creatures who do not allow themselves 
to be blinded by jealousy, when it is a question of 
rendering justice to a more beautiful woman, 


154 


BER ROYAL LOVER, 


Whatsoever he may do, a man is not absolutely 
wicked ; there is a sentiment of pity at the bottom of 
his nature. On learning the terrible accident which 
happened to the unfortunate Najeska Ivanowna, a 
frightful remorse invaded the heart of the young 
man. He was conscious of his infamy ; the words 
expired in his throat, paralyzed by shame. “My 
God ! it was he, then, he alone, who was the cause 
of this misfortune; the outraged husband, consti- 
tuting himself a judge, had thus half -killed his 
wife!” 

“Think, then,” added Walpurga, “of the rage 
which will seize the ambassador when, on return- 
ing, he will hear of the assault 1 Monsieur Haller, 
whom I have accidentally met, has told me also that 
the chief of police, fearing the indignation of the 
prince, has just set the whole force at work in order 
to unravel, as quickly as possible, this dreadful 
affair, which would lead one to believe that a 
‘vendetta’ weighs upon all the inmates of the hotel 
of the Caucasian Embassy.” 

When he was again alone, Waldemar de Heiligen- 
thal let his head fall heavily upon his hands, and 
bursting into sobs, twice there escaped from his 
overburdened breast strange incoherent words. 

Walpurga de Heiligenthal spoke the truth. Gross- 
mann, the chief of police, was in his element. Since 
the hour in which the accident was reported, they 
were coming in troops to his office, to demand de- 
tails about the news which was agitating the whole 
city. 

The reporters of the Nouvelliste, those of the Echo 
of Thessaly, the two largest political journals of the 
city, and the editors of the most insignificant papers, 
repulsed at the embassy which they had invaded at 


HEB ROYAL LOVER. 


155 


the first rumor, and learning nothing but what the 
town already knew, were making an invasion on 
the police, where, eager for details, they were noisily 
declaiming, and giving vent to their dissatisfaction 
at the incapacity of the police. Neither Madame de 
Mineleko, nor the groom, would consent to speak; 
both were unanimous in declaring that they had not 
been able to distinguish the features of the assailant. 
Upon her return to the embassy, notwithstanding 
her great feebleness, Najeska Ivanowna had sent 
for her groom. Alone with him, she had made him 
swear, upon the most sacred oaths, never to reveal 
who was her assailant. The young servant, upon 
whose mind the beauty and the kindness of the 
princess had made a lively impression, promised all, 
and Madame de Mineleko, from this moment, ap- 
peared calmer and more tranquil. 

Unhappily their pious silence was to be useless, 
and the curiosity of the town was going to be most 
fully satisfied. 

Two little girls had been involuntary spectators of 
the sudden horrible attack on the ambassadress. 
According to their custom, they were peaceably 
gathering, on the borders of the forest, some straw- 
berries and fiowers, destined for the lovely, dainty 
worldlings of the city. These two fiower-girls, by 
their frequent visits in the royal park, were ac- 
quainted with the by-ways and the frequenters of 
it. From a distance, they had seen the princess 
pass, who, musing, was allowing her horse to follow 
its own caprices. This young woman, as good as 
beautiful, was winning all hearts ; the simple fiower- 
girls were quite proud of the amiable bow with 
which the elegant Amazon had responded to their 
profound courtesies. While prattling about the 


156 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


grace and beauty of the equestrienne, they had fol- 
lowed her with their eyes. Suddenly, they related, 
a gentleman, whose face and figure closely resem- 
bled the Caucasian Ambassador, had approached 
Madame de Mineleko, and had entered into conver- 
sation with her ; then a formidable cry was heard. 
Foreboding a disaster, they darted forward; but, 
when they arrived upon the scene of action, it was 
too late ; the horse of the ambassadress, in its frantic 
course, was hastening to the entrance of the citv, 
while that of her assailant was rapidly penetrating 
in the thick coppice-wood of the forest. Then at 
full speed, there passed near them, a little fright- 
ened groom, who was uttering convulsive exclama- 
tions, endeavoring to increase the furious gait of 
his horse; the unlucky servant was fiying to the 
succor of his mistress. 

The evidence of the fiower-girls was so serious, 
that the reporters received a formal order from the 
police, not to mention it in their accounts. “A 
gentleman, closely resembling the Caucasian Am- 
bassador,” the two young girls had said. That was 
overwhelming — but they might be mistaken. 

In the afternoon, the king received a summary of 
the inquiries made about the terrible accident of the 
ambassadress. He was not only very uneasy for 
the health of Najeska Ivanowna, but also much 
frightened at the consequences that this affair 
might have. In thinking of all this, his indignation 
against the husband of his well-beloved, was aug- 
menting more and more. “What a brute !” to have 
dared to raise his whip on so much loveliness, so 
many charms! What to do? to defend, to avenge 
her, was to destroy her ; was she not the wife of 
this madman? And did it not follow that, as am- 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


157 


bassador of a country as powerful as Caucasus, he 
would escape the chastisement which he merited ! 

Alas ! is it not always thus? Impunity, is it not for 
the powerful of the earth? who, knowing well how 
unassailable they are, imprudently give themselves 
free-rein in their vices. 


158 


HEB BOYAL LOVEB, 


CHAPTER XIX. 

THE WAGGING OF TONGUES. 

When Mineleko’s horse stopped before the steps 
of the palace of the embassy, it was just striking 
six. After the terrible events of the morning, all 
had very nearly returned to a relative calm. 

The prince appeared pre-occupied and uneasy. 
He had hardly taken a step in the house where, 
according to the express order of the physician, an 
absolute silence reigned, before his chief secretary. 
Prince Gariatinski, accompanied by Doctor Schlotz, 
came to meet him. The condition of the princess 
was agitated. Geheimrath Schlotz had deemed 
it prudent to renew his visit. 

The physician, putting a finger upon his lips, said : 

“ Hush !— make no noise, your excellency. Madame 
la Princess is very ill; a violent fever, resulting 
from blows which she has received, has just de- 
clared itself. With your permission, we will enter 
the little boudoir to the left ; then, we can acquaint 
you with all the events of this terrible day.” 

Monsieur de Mineleko, like a veritable automaton, 
entered, followed by the two men who related to 
him his assault in its least details ; he was obliged 
to hear all. 

“ The chief of police has set all his best detectives 
at work ; they will surely succeed in discovering the 
criminal. But that which renders the inquirv very 
difficult, is that Madame la Princess affirms not to 
have recognized the man who struck her, and the 
groom says the same.” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


159 


“Ah! she has not recognized this man?” said the 
ambassador, slowly, “that is truly unfortunate!” 

“Unquestionably, for your excellency knows the 
severity of our laws in this respect ; if we could put 
our hand upon the criminal, he would have, at the 
least, two years in prison, and your highness would 
be revenged.” 

“ And you say that the groom, also, has not recog- 
nized the man?” 

“No, your excellency. He, as well as Madame le 
Arabassadrice, has not been able to furnish the least 
indication in that respect.” 

“Ah!” 

“Before retiring, one word more, prince.” This 
time, it is the physician who speaks. “ I earnestly 
entreat you, if necessary I even command you, not 
to enter in the chamber of the invalid. Two nurses 
are with her ; they are reliable women, I answer for 
them. The maid will not even be admitted. I have 
forbidden it, for each new face seems to terrify 
Madame la Princess, who is in an alarming state 
of excitement. If my orders are not executed to the 
letter, I would not dare to be responsible for this 
precious life.” 

“What! Madame le Ambassadrice is so ill as 
that?” 

“Yes, your excellency. One of the blows has 
severely wounded one side of her head and temple. 
All three have been struck in places where they 
could be fatal. After the first dressing, Madame la 
Princess was getting on well enough ; but, toward 
five o’clock, a violent fever, accompanied with de- 
lirium and excitement, has manifested itself, and it 
is only with great difficulty that they have suc- 
ceeded in keeping her in her bed. I have had to 


160 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


employ very powerful soporifics; it is only some 
minutes since she rests quietly. This sleep is price- 
less, we must respect it. But, perhaps, your excel- 
lency would like to speak to the groom, the only 
witness of the scene.” 

“Later, later— I will see; but, at present, I am so 
shattered, so annihilated by all this which you tell 
me, that it is necessary that I take a little rest. I 
really have need of being alone.” 

Gariatinski, however, was preparing to follow the 
ambassador, intending to give him some details 
about the expedition of the courier ; but the prince 
made such an imperative gesture while ascending 
the stairs which led to his chamber, that the first 
sceretary was compelled to desist. 

“This is a very astonishing day,” said the three 
secretaries of the embassy, when Gariatinski re- 
turned and imparted to them that which had just 
taken place. 

“ Did the prince appear very indignant when he 
was informed of the infamous assault?” 

“Bless me! no, I thought him rather too calm.” 

“ What a singular nature ! He flies into an un- j 
governable passion for nothing, and at such an 
event, well calculated to kindle the indignation of 
the most phlegmatic, he breathes not a word. What 
does this mean?” 

And all their tongues wagged. 

Here, as elsewhere, the husband’s tyranny had i 
not been able to escape the secretaries, who admired I 
as much as they pitied the charming ambassadress. I 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


161 


CHAPTER XX. 

A SUMMONS FROM THE KING. 

Mineleko, however, had hastened to be alone. 
Never in his life had he been harassed by so many 
contradictory emotions. It was very bitterly, very 
sincerely that he was repenting of the cowardliness 
of his passion. This blunder which he had com- 
mitted was placing him in a very disastrous position ; 
he might, by a single stroke, lose both his wife and 
his situation, but what did his career signify to him, 
if his Najeska Ivanowna remained to him ! 

He knew that the princess had noble and mag- 
nanimous characteristics; she would never betray 
him. But would it be the same with the groom, 
this miserable salaried canaille? If he was silent to- 
day, he might speak to-morrow! As long as he 
should live, he, a Mineleko, would be at the mercy 
of his valet, who would, perhaps, grant a silence 
which he should have to purchase, in order to save 
his honor. And although, even after having well 
paid him, would he yet be sure of not being be- 
trayed some day? 

Had not his anger once more blinded him odiously 
enough? But that anonymous letter spoke the 
truth, however, since Najeska Ivanowna had not 
denied anything. 

But, calmer now, he commenced to reason, which 
instead of following, should have preceded his 
folly; nothing astonishing, then, if this infamous 
anonymous letter was an ignoble calumny. His 
young wife might easily have been with the king, 


162 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


but was that a reason to suppose that she had de- 
scended to dishonor? She had entered the little 
pavilion, the vile informer had added. What was 
there so compromising in that? From that height 
the view was magnificent; Najeska Ivanowna, of a 
meditative nature, a lover of the beautiful, had been 
capable of repairing to this promenade which prom- 
ised her such a sublime spectacle. When, filled with 
the remembrance of the admired and forsaken beau- 
ties, she had seen him brutally spring up before her, 
was it singular that dismayed, suffocated, she had 
not been able to explain her meeting with the 
king? 

By interrogating the little groom, and threatening 
to kill him if he did not tell the absolute truth, he 
would know immediately how long a time the king 
and the ambassadress had remained alone together. 
But would he dare now to call this valet? Alone 
with this wicked scoundrel would he not cast this in 
his face? 

“ It is you, you alone, infamous assailant of your 
wife ! I hold you in my power, and if you dare to 
threaten me, I call! They will come at my cries, 
then I will tell them the truth, and you will be cast 
into prison, like the worst of blackguards. And, 
after this scandal, prepare for your disgrace, for a 
recall from your government, for a long exile in the 
heart of Asia, where you will go and share the sad 
fate of the many unfortunates that you have sent 
thither.” 

All these terrible thoughts were clashing against 
each other in the brain of the unhappy man. If he 
had been able to see, at least, Najeska Ivanowna!— 
to learn from her lips that she would once more 
pardon this infamous brutality I Oh ! never, never 


MEB BOYAL LOVEB. 


16 a 

more was he going to allow himself to commit any 
more! 

He would swear it to her ; that this cowardly one, 
more terrible than the preceding, should be the last. 
What had he thought, then? to whip this woman 
whom he loved more than his soul, more than his 
life ! What had he done in that horrible moment 
with his reason, with his heart? Alas I what had he 
not suffered, when reflection, predominating over the 
tumult of his passions, had resumed its empire in his 
soul ! Why had he not, in his despair at the crime 
committed, dashed out his brains against one of 
those trees, the witnesses of his odious cowardice? 
It was in the solitude of that sublime and imposing 
nature that he should have died ; those magnificent 
trees, silent spectators of his guilt, would have 
grown and would have buried him under their 
branches, protecting forever this body purifled by 
repentance. 

Shame seized him, remorse pursued him, he had 
not been able to resolve to leave that calming soli- 
tude. He had been afraid to re-enter this little 
town, where tattle would run quicker than light 
ning. Jealousy, despair, repentance, alternately 
created in him a terrible tempest which rent him. 

The whole afternoon he had wandered, like a soul 
in torment, and on his return he was obliged to 
renounce seeing Najeska Ivanowna! 

To see her alone a moment ! to hear issue from 
her lips these precious words : 

“I am innocent — thou hast been unjust!” Oh! 
for this sentence he would have given ten years of 
his life. But no, they would not admit him to his 
wife’s chamber. Was she really so ill? or, fearing 
that he would indulge in a new paroxysm, had she 


164 HER ROYAL LOVER. 

entreated those who cared for her not to allow him 
to enter?” 

Here, they were all conspiring against him, his 
only hope they were taking from him. Was this 
already his chastisement? or was she really as 
dangerously ill as the physician pretended? But, if 
she was going to die, what would become of him? — 
him whose jealousy, after having poisoned this 
young existence, had terminated it by a crime! — by 
an assassination ! 

He was so exasperated against himself that he did 
not hear the reiterated raps which they were dis- 
creetly knocking at his door. Who dared, then, to 
disturb him thus? Had he not absolutely forbidden 
their coming to disturb him? 

It was Gariatinski again. 

“ May your highness pardon me, but one of the 
king’s aides-de-camp is down stairs. His majesty 
commands your highness to go immediately to the 
royal palace, having something very urgent to com- 
municate, this evening, to your highness.” 

When conscience is not at peace, everything is a 
matter of terror to us. A secret uneasiness seized 
the ambassador. This summons of the king, at this 
hour, and after the events of the day, was very un- 
usual. “A good pilot, however, is best tried in a 
storm,” and the ambassador, after having remained 
alone some moments to collect himself and reflect, 
set out for the chateau. 


Um ROYAL LOVER. 


165 


CHAPTER XXI. 

OBEYING HIS MAJESTY. 

When the Caucasian Ambassador entered the 
king’s presence, several persons were with his 
majesty; among others the chief of police, whom 
the Prince of Mineleko recognized. 

“I desire to remain alone with his excellency,” 
said Charles Ferdinand XVIII, dismissing all the 
other visitors with an imperative gesture. 

“Monsieur le Ambassadeur, take a seat, for the 
interview will be somewhat long.” 

“At the injunction of the king, the Prince of Min- 
eleko sat down. Summoning all the resources of his 
sang froid^ he endeavored to conceal the terrible 
emotion which was torturing him. 

When they were entirely alone : 

“Monsieur le Ambassadeur,” commenced the king, 
“if you believe me, to-morrow morning, under any 
pretext whatever, you will leave Thessaly, if not 
forever, at least for some weeks.” 

Although, in reality, Mineleko was not surprised ; 
he endeavored yet to make a gesture of astonish- 
ment. 

“I surprise you, do I not? Well! take this report, 
and I doubt not, that after having read it, you will 
at once interpret the advice, the order, even, that I 
see myself compelled to give you.” 

Mineleko extended a hand which trembled slight- 
ly, and the king gave to him the examination signed 
with the names of the two little flower-girls who, 
from a distance, had witnessed the assault. 


166 


HEE ROYAL LOVER. 


Mineleko, simulating great attention, affected to 
read very slowly, but in reality he was endeavor- 
ing to give himself time to reflect. Those flower- 
girls really said, “a man resembling Monsieur de 
Mineleko;” but, after all, they did not affirm in a 
positive manner, that it was he. What should he 
do? Ought he to deny it? or to confess all to the 
king? Thinking of the terrible consequences that 
for a man of his eminent position such a confession 
might have, he adopted the first resolution. 

With a violent effort over himself, Mineleko, 
raising his eyes to the king, said : 

“ That is strange ! What man here can resemble 
me to that extent?” 

A very significant smile wandered over his majes- 
ty’s lips ; this movement did not escape the ambas- 
sador. 

“We will have to seek for this man!” cried Min- 
eleko, whose anger, with great difficulty allayed, 
flashed like lightning on seeing the mocking air of 
the king. 

“That is what they have done. Monsieur le Am- 
bassadeur. But, it is my painful duty, I acknowl- 
edge it to you, to warn you, that during the first 
days which will follow this incident, and in spite of 
your innocence, (his majesty emphasized these last 
words), your sojourn here might occasion you great 
unpleasantness which, perhaps, might not be with- 
out leading to strained relations between the two 
powers of Caucasus and Thessaly, if irdignation, 
misled, should create for you here painful difficul- 
ties. These difficulties are the more probable as the 
mysterious assassination committed at your em- 
bassy, and of which they have not been able to 
find the author, has already excited a good many 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


167 


suppositions, and your testimony that, after having 
seen a man leap out of the window, you had tran- 
quilly returned to bed, instead of giving the alarm, 
has, in spite of the testimony of Geheimrath 
Schlotz, awakened many unjust suspicions against 
you.” 

The furious lightning which flashed in the eyes of 
Mineleko, at those words of the king, arrested, for a 
moment, the words upon his majesty’s lips. 

What! the king! the murderer himself, the am- 
bassador was thinking, dared to speak thus, to him, 
the innocent man! But he was too much accus- 
tomed to the habits of the court to interrupt the 
king, even by a syllable, until he had finished. 

Then, only raising his head and looking the king 
full in the face : 

“Is it seriously,” said he, “that voxir majesty can 
(ah! how he emphasized this last word!) suspect 
me for a second of being the author of the murder 
of one of my most faithful servants, of a man who 
had been entirely devoted to my father?” 

“ Certainly no ! a thousand times no!” quickly re- 
sponded the king, “but you know as well as I what 
the journalism of to-day is. Nothing escapes it ; the 
least detail of our private life belongs to it, they im- 
mediately seize upon it, and an account is given and 
delivered to the commentaries of everybody. An 
article, unfortunately turned, might inflame minds 
more ready to believe falsehood than the truth, and 
then ” 

“Your majesty forgets that I cannot absent my- 
self without the permission of my august master, 
the emperor.” 

“I have obviated that difficulty. It is scarcely 
half an hour ago since I sent a dispatch to my 


168 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


cousin, the emperor. The response will be here to- 
morrow morning; you may travel this evening, 
then, without danger. Recognize in this prompt 
action a proof of my lively solicitude for you, and 
the fervent desire that I have to remove from your 
highness all the complications which might arise.” 

“ A point, still more important than all the rest, 
escapes your majesty. The princess, (on pronounc- 
ing this name, Mineleko’s lips trembled, and an 
intense suffocation contracted his throat), since 
some hours, has been seriously ill.” 

The king, who was ignorant of the danger in 
which Najeska Ivanowna was, could not conceal 
the emotion which wrung his whole being on learn- 
ing this detail. 

“ Has the condition of Madame le Ambassadrice 
grown worse, then, since this afternoon? When I 
sent Count Adlersward, at two o’clock, to inquire 
about her, she appeared to be as well as her terrible 
accident would permit.” 

With all his gracious thoughts, the ambassador 
was scarcely listening : 

“If I set out to-morrow, as your majesty com- 
mands me, it is possible that I — that I may never 
see my wife !” 

The unhappy man was really so afflicted, that the 
king, who, however, was suffering also, and for the 
same beloved object, was seized with sudden com- 
passion for the unfortunate man. 

“When did this terrible change take place?” 

“At five o’clock.” 

“You were, doubtless, at home?” 

“Alas, no! I only returned at six o’clock.” 
Again the king looked strangely at the ambassador. 

“Permit me to tell you. Monsieur le Prince, how 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


169 


much this absence, very involuntarily, I wish to be- 
lieve, is against you and delivers you to the malig- 
nity of the public. You went out, and you did not 
return until quite late, and precisely on a day in 
which you yourself would consider it an impossi- 
bility to leave the embassy.” 

Mineleko did not answer. He realized how con- 
clusive these circumstances were. 

“ You see, it is urgent that your excellency should 
go away. I could certainly use my influence, which 
you have acquired; but, if T succeeded with the 
police, who are subject to my orders, I would most 
certainly he prostrated by the press, which I myself 
am obliged to listen and submit to.” 

Mineleko endeavored to defend himself. 

“But I have done nothing.” 

“Nevertheless, there weighs serious accusations 
against you. This evening and to-morrow morning 
they cannot yet do much, but afterward, even hold_ 
ing you to be innocent, I cannot answer for that 
which will take place. Your groom has undergone 
a preliminary examination. At first, he faltered, 
then entangled himself, and at last he gave some 
very incoherent responses. This fellow, on recon- 
sidering, may change his tactics — he may accuse 
you. Oh I I like to believe that it would be in- 
famous, unjust,” added the sovereign, on seeing the 
prince’s gesture of denial, “but I am not the only 
master; there are judges in the residence. And, 
now, you will comprehend why your absence for 
some weeks becomes an absolute necessity.” 

Mineleko was compelled to acknowledge that the 
king was a thousand times right. If he remained, 
he would inevitably fall into a labyrinth from 
whence he would not escape with his honor. The 


170 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


investigating magistrate, Avith all his skill, would 
abstract from the groom the confession that the 
fellow had yet been able to elude to-day ; and then, 
in what a position would not the ambassador find 
himself ! 

“I will obey your majesty,” said the Prince of 
Mineleko. 

The king made a haughty inclination with his 
head which meant : “ Then, your audience is termi- 
nated,” and Monsieur de Mineleko, backed out. A 
moment after, he descended the wide steps of the 
staircase of the chateau, and found himself alone in 
the night air. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


171 


CHAPTER XXII. 

THE STOLEN PAPER. 

On leaving the royal audience, the prince’s mind 
Avas so much absorbed by the multitude of reflec- 
tions which agitated him, that the jealous husband 
had completely disappeared. For a moment, the 
anonymous letter, the cause of so much evil, was 
forgotten; the illness of his dear Najeska Ivan- 
owna, his probable disgrace with his government, 
alone occupied his thoughts. What were the other 
calamities in comparison with these real perils? 
Why had he always acted thus? Would this lesson 
correct him? Would he know how to profit by the 
counsels which this rude school was giving him? 
Alas I the suspicious, vindictive nature of the am- 
bassador was soon to resume its sway. 

Hardly had he left the king, hardly had he 
crossed the last drawbridge of the palace, before 
Mineleko commenced again to think of that infernal 
missive. From whom was it? A woman, wounded 
in her pretensions, could alone have put such sub- 
tilty in her vengeance. 

But who, who in this city, could thus detest 
Najeska Ivanowna, his dear treasure? It is now, 
that he knows her to be ill, in danger, in great 
danger, perhaps, that he realizes how dear she is to 
him. He is terrified at the thought of losing her. 
What is it which predominates in him at this mo- 
ment, is it love or egotism? 

“I will know the truth! though I die for it!” he 
said to himself, “ In order to succeed in it, I will 


172 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


put this business in the hands of an agent of the 
secret police, and though he move heaven and 
earth, he must discover the author of this infamous 
letter ! But, this research, about a letter addressed 
to myself, will it not be to avow that it is I who have 
committed the assault?” 

All the same ; he will risk it ! 

Precisely, by one of those strange coincidences 
with which life is so often strewn, there had arrived 
from Caucasus, the preceding night, a detective, 
with the object of watching very closely a con- 
spiracy which they knew was then secretly plotting. 
He was to search for the members of a secret politi- 
cal society, plotting to overthrow the Caucasian 
government, and which, after its denunciation, 
should have elected, as one of its most important 
seats, the capital of Thessaly. The sojourn of this 
detective in Thessaly ought to last several weeks at 
least ; perhaps even several months. This employee 
had, a long time since, given evidence of being a 
skillful spy, if ever there was one ; several nihilist 
plots had already been intrusted to him, and, al- 
though the Caucasian empire was infested by this 
society, he had each time come out with honor. 

This man had known the prince since a long time, 
and was devoted to him, body and soul; without 
fear he could confide the truth to him, and, far 
from betraying him, he would assist in shielding 
him, him the criminal in the eyes of all. Fate had 
overthrown him, but, before he would depart, he 
would intrust to him the task of seeking the coward, 
who had forever shattered his happiness. 

On re-entering the hotel of the embassy, Mineleko 
sent for Dimitri Feodorowitch Bolski, the celebrated 
detective. As soon as Bolski had arrived, the prince 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


173 


closing and bolting the door, laid the anonymous 
letter before him. 

The detective was from thirty to forty years old. 
He had one of those heads which especially astonish 
you, by the quite remarkable penetration of the two 
deep black eyes, which, placed upon you, seemed to 
desire to scrutinize the most secret recesses of your 
being. 

“Dimitri Feodorowitch,” said the ambassador, “I 
am obliged to depart to-morrow for Caucasus, and 
I do not wish to go without leaving behind me a 
reliable person, who will discover from whom this 
accursed letter has come to me, this morning.” 

Bolski took possession of the letter. We have 
said, that it appeared to have no distinctive mark. 
Mineleko was eagerly following with his eyes the 
mobile countenance of the detective. After having 
bent a long time over the note, which he was fixedly 
regarding, Dimitri Feodorowitch approached the 
lamp. He studied the paper at first with the naked 
eye, then, taking from his pocket a magnifying- 
glass, which he always carried, and placing it over 
the characters, he recommenced his researches with 
a great concentration of mind. Then, raising his 
head: 

“Your highness may depart in peace,” said he, “I 
will discover the author.” 

“But how to succeed in it? The paper is such as 
one may purchase anywhere, and the writing is 
very skillfully disguised!” 

“ I have accomplished more difficult things, your 
highness, than to arrive at discovering the truth in 
this case. A letter, although it may be written in 
the most disguised manner, is one of those clues 
which never fails to become one of the most trouble- 


174 


MEB BOYAL lover. 


some accusations against a prisoner. But here, 
prince, two things must be done immediately . first, 
I must interrogate the domestics, in order to learn 
which one has received it, and who has given it to 
him, since it has no stamp; afterward, you must 
give me a specimen of the writing of every person 
who has any correspondence with you. Do not neg- 
lect to submit all to me. The least word written 
upon a card may be a valuable indication. The 
moments are precious ; may your highness be 
pleased, for greater security, to sort your papers 
yourself, while, for my own part, I am going down 
stairs to interrogate the domestics. 

Monsieur de Mineleko felt his confidence revive, 
by the contact of this experienced person. Inspired 
by the energy of this man, he set diligently to work. 
Opening his secretary, his drawers, ferreting in all 
the places where he preserved his papers, he col- 
lected specimens of each of his correspondents. 
This occupation made the time appear to him very 
short, in which Dimitri Feodorowitch was employed 
in his researches down stairs. 

It was without much difficulty that Bolski found 
again the person to whom the urgent missive had 
been delivered. It was the gardener ^s little boy 
who had received it, the father being occupied else- 
where. 

“ What kind of a person was it who brought this 
letter, little Jacques?” Bolski said, drawing the child 
gently to him. “ Try hard to recollect, for it is very 
important. ” 

“It was a nurse.” 

“A nurse?” 

“Yes.” 


HEU IlOYAL LOVER. 


175 


“Wouldst thou recognize her? Couldst thou, if 
necessary, describe her to me?” 

“To describe her to you,” said the child, “would 
be very difficult for me, for all nurses resemble 
each other.” 

Dimitri Feodorowitch smiled at this ingenuous re- 
mark, correct enough, however. 

“But if thou wast to see this woman?” 

“Then, I would recognize her, perhaps.” 

“But what did she say to thee?” 

“ That it was necessary that this note should be 
given to Monsieur le Ambassadeur without losing a 
single instant. It was even because she insisted so 
much that, to arrive more speedily in the vestibule 
where Vassili generally is, that I had no time to 
look at her closely.” 

“Did she appear uneasy — agitated?” 

“Oh, yes! she came running; she was even so 
breathless that she could scarcely speak.” 

“ And when thou hadst taken her letter, what did 
she do?” 

“ She fled like an arrow ; that astonished me very 
much.” 

The commencement of this inquiry, of no impor- 
tance to any one but Bolski, was a good deal to him 
in informing him how many difficulties he would 
have to encounter. He had hoped that the bearer of 
the letter was a porter, the ordinary messenger in 
such cases; and, then, it would be very easy to dis- 
cover the author. The number of hired porters, 
wearing badges, was restricted in the residence; 
while there were many nurses in the city ! But it 
was all the same, even in this labyrinth of girls of 
the lower classes, he would attain his object. Then 
he had not only this string to his bow. The most 


176 


HEU ROYAL LOVER. 


valuable source of his information would be the 
examination of the writing which the ambassador 
was now collecting. When Bolski returned to the 
prince, he was hard at work. 

“ Let your highness give me those which you have 
already selected,” said he. 

Taking from a little table the whole mass of 
papers which he found there, he established himself 
before a candelabra, whose bright, clear light, fell 
fully on the tedious anonymous letter; thus in- 
stalled, he commenced his duty of comparisons. 

Each letter was, with him, the object of an ex- 
amination as minute as if he had to decipher some 
Egyptian hieroglyphic. Not one, which was not 
examined with the magnifying-glass. While he was 
engaged in this pursuit, Mineleko, for his part, was 
passing and repassing, scrupulously continuing his 
researches. 

“Prince,” said Dimitri Feodoro witch, suddenly, 
“ there has been a murder committed at your house, 
lately. Whom do you suspect of it?” 

Mineleko, at first, did not dare to respond to this 
question. We know that he was not far from ac- 
cusing the king. 

“Prince, conceal nothing from me. Who knows 
how useful the least word from you would be to me 
about this affair.” 

Knowing that he could not conceal from Bolski 
that which he was determined to know, Mineleko 
frankly told him his suspicions. 

“Your suspicions astonish me, and I cannot share 
them, monseigneur,” the detective responded. 

“Then, what do you think, Bolski?” Mineleko 
replied. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


177 


As if he desired to change abruptly the conversa- 
tion, Dimitri Feodorowitch suddenly said : 

“Prince, do not forget to visit your basket in 
which you throw your waste paper. I recollect how, 
in a trial for murder, the head of a great lady fell 
under the knife, although they had lost all hope of 
discovering the assassin, only because a bit of torn 
rose-satin paper found in the waste-basket, set them 
on the track of the criminal. Ah ! the women ! the 
women !” 

Was it by accident that the piercing eyes of 
Bolski were then fixed upon a photograph of the 
ambassadress? 

When he was speaking, Mineleko started. There 
was a letter which he had not shown the detective, 
that which he had snatched from the hands of his 
wife that memorable night in the atelier. A strug- 
gle was taking place in him, a struggle whch he 
surmounted in the end. 

“Dimitri Feodorowitch,” said he, suddenly, “I 
have forgotten to show you this.” And he extended 
to the agent of the secret police the piece of paper 
stolen from the princess. 


178 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE PRINCE SEES HIS WIFE. 

The whole capital of Thessaly, still under the 
shock of the drama of the previous day, learned, 
with stupefaction the next morning, on awakening, 
that, notwithstanding the serious condition of the 
ambassadress, the Prince of Mineleko had departed 
for Caucasus. _ 

“Urgent business, dispatches of the greatest im- 
portance,” he had alleged, in order to account for 
this precipitate departure, which resembled a flight. 

At the office of the chief of police, this voyage 
thwarted them very much, for, then, they desig- 
nated the assailant. Very privately as yet, while 
waiting until they dared to speak more openly, they 
were freely uttering the name of the prince himself. 

Everybody was coupling this strange event with 
the murder committed at his house, and they even 
blamed the government for having allowed this man 
to depart, who was unquestionably the assailant, 
and very probably, the assassin besides. 

Vague suspicions, excited especially by the evi- 
dence of the flower-girls of the forest, were already 
propagated in the town. They were recalling the 
monarch’s very remarkable attentions to the beau- 
tiful ambassadress, wild rumors were reported since 
then, about the deposition of the prince, and, from 
all that, each one drew his conclusions. 

How true facts will percolate in spite of all! 
What is this impalpable exhalation which disen- 
gages itself of an event which one would desire to 
mysteriously conceal, and which, whatsoever one 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


179 


may do to stifle it behind a wall of discretion, 
ascends slowly but surely to each class of society 
which it penetrates, increased still by the unwhole- 
some infectious filth of calumny. That which is 
certain, is that truth, that enormous force, comes to 
light anywhere in spite of and against everything. 
They were whispering here, very secretly, that 
which had really happened. Several persons, who 
were accustomed to ride at an early hour, had the 
same morning of the assault, alternately encoun- 
tered the king and Madame de Mineleko, going in 
the same direction. 

Madame de Mineleko, thanks to the influence of 
the powerful soporifics, had passed quite a peace- 
ful night. 

The ambassador was able, with many precau- 
tions, to enter her chamber to contemplate her 
once more before his departure. She was in a state 
of great weakness; her prostration prevented her 
from perceiving the presence of her husband. This 
was, in every respect, a great blessing. Besides, 
had she been less stupefied, the princess -would not 
have been able to see him, the nurse, in order to 
guard the patient from all emotion, having placed 
the prince behind the curtain of the bed; in this 
manner he could see without being seen. 

It was with a very heavy heart, and with a 
strange presentiment of misfortune, that the prince 
quitted the residence city. 


180 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

INDIGNATION OF THE KING. 

During the first eight days of her illness, Madame 
de Mineleko’s condition was so alarming, that they 
sent two or three dispatches a day, to the despairing 
husband. The king, very uneasy, on his part, sent 
several times a day to inquire after the invalid. 
Sometimes, he came alone, or accompanied by one 
of the young princesses, to inquire in person about 
the progress which the ambassadress’ physician 
said she was making. After terrible sufferings, the 
ninth day brought with it a perceptible change for 
the better ; the fever abated, and the convalescent 
recovered her lucidity, and she was soon in a condi- 
tion to see her friends. The king was one of the 
first who requested the favor of being received. He 
wrote to -Madame de Mineleko, “ that he had some 
serious things to tell her.” 

Charles Ferdinand had really refiected a great 
deal, during the long days in which the life of this 
woman, whom he loved with a genuine and deeply- 
rooted love, had been in danger. 

Thinking of his last interview with “that brute” 
(it was thus that, in his thoughts, he entitled the 
husband), he asked himself if this young woman 
could ever live again, in contact with such a man. 
As soon as Xajcska Ivanowna had appeared at the 
Court of Thessally, the king had interested himself 
in this existence that everybody said was so un- 
happy. By all the questions which he had asked, 
here and there, it had been easy for him to conclude 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


181 


that this household was not happy. “ As for the rest, 
he is the best of men,” the indifferent said, in speak- 
ing of the prince, “but with a temper! — with a 
temper ! In fact, was it not for his superior intelli- 
gence, for his diplomatic qualities, he would never 
have retained the important positions which were 
intrusted to him. 

The history of his duels, of his jealousies, of his 
brutalities, were all known to the king. If all the 
young men smitten with the young lady’s beauty, 
and coming like bewildered butterflies, to flutter 
around this brilliant light, were not dead, it was 
certainly not the husband’s fault, who would have 
ardently desired to lodge a bullet in the bodies of all. 
Was not that notorious scandal, with the unhappy 

H , scarcely extinguished, before a second, of the 

same character, this time with a royal prince, had 
been upon the eve of breaking out. For this affair, 
the government had given the ambassador a severe 
rap on the knuckles, and had sent him to another 
post, for change of air. But he remained the same 
everywhere ; the Prince of Mineleko was incorrigi- 
ble. Several times already, the ambassador had 
tried the favor of his imperial master. If they had 
closed their eyes to his conduct, it was only on ac- 
count of the high rank, the great capacities of the 
prince. Caucasus needed intelligent men, to repre- 
sent it in foreign parts; besides, in this country, 
where they are accustomed to bears aT‘d boors, do 
they not treat the people and their inferiors, like 
beasts of burden? 

Knowing how to take Mineleko, his intimate 
friends understood how to frustrate the most of the 
conflicts, in which he engaged so audaciously. All 
were pleased to pity and admire the beautiful 


182 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


Najeska Ivanowna. Although she supported her 
unhappy fate, with the resignation and the patience 
of an angel, the hearts which were interested in 
her, could not cease to be uneasy, in thinking of the 
sad future which perhaps awaited her. 

“No!” said the king to himself, “this flower is too 
fragile for one to leave it in the heavy claws of this 
tiger, who, one day, in a moment of intense jeal- 
ousy, will break it like a glass. 

For the king, for the police, as well as for every- 
body in Thessaly, it was really the ambassador who 
had whipped his wife and strangled his servant. 

The secretaries of the embassy, the servants of 
Mineleko, even those who were a long time in his 
service, were also secretly whispering it. 

Whatsoever side they turned, all doubts were 
dissipated. 

Indignation and rage arose in the heart of the 
king, at the thought that knowing the truth, and 
being able to prove it, they had been obliged to 
arrest the inquiry of the police, and allow this man 
to go in perfect liberty, because he was an ambas- 
sador, and that it was necessary to avoid creating 
unpleasantness with an allied power as powerful as 
the Caucasian Empire. 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


183 


CHAPTER XXV. 

PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE. 

What became of Heiligenthal, during the young 
woman’s illness? Alternately rent by remorse, 
anxiety, and shame, he thought, at certain moments, 
that he would lose his reason. He wished to flee 
from this city, the witness of his infamy ; but, alas ! 
inexorable duty retained him. What excuse would 
he be able to give, to obtain a dismissal from his 
chiefs, he, who had but just obtained this govern- 
ment position, so short a time before the arrival of 
Mineleko, in Thessaly. His life was now passed in 
trembling, that a day would come in which they 
would discover that he, considered as a man of 
honor, was the author of such a cowardice as an 
anonymous letter. He did not dare to attempt to 
again see Xajeska Ivanowna; besides, the poor lady 
was too ill for him to be able to think of penetrating 
to her. He must wait for convalescence to come 
and terminate a work which it was slowly com- 
mencing. 

When Xajeska Ivanowna was at last in a condi- 
tion to receive, the first admitted was the king. 

On the morning of the day of his majesty’s visit, 
they had removed the bandages from the patient’s 
head. 

Pale, emaciated, almost transparent, with deep 
black circles under her beautiful languishing eyes, 
the princess was extended on her couch. 

Yes, Xajeska Ivanowna was sad, pre-occupied. 
Although she had preserved, with very great dig- 


184 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


nity, a sacred silence as to who had struck her ; al- 
though she thought herself able to count upon the 
discretion of her groom, of whom she had com- 
manded absolute silence, the princess was fearing 
that the truth would come to light. But, neverthe- 
less, in spite of herself, she felt in her heart a new 
indignation against her husband, who, she said to 
herself, was becoming a coward through his jeal- 
ousy and brutality. 

She was thinking with dread of the future. Would 
it be possible for her to remain fettered to this man 
in whom the brute was aroused at every suspicion, 
even the most fugitive? Notwithstanding all his 
promises, all his desires, he would never change ! 
Can a being, arrived to nearly fifty years, still 
modify his character? The habits are too firmly set. 

At the sight of the dear invalid a great compas- 
sion seized the king — a compassion which inclined 
his heart to love her with a more complete, a more 
energetic tenderness than it had hitherto done, with 
all the fires of his passion. Yes, at any price, he 
would save this woman from a future yawning with 
dangers which was opening before her. 

His majesty was so affected by the circumstances 
of this second tete-a-tete that he could scarcely speak. 

“ How happy I am to see you again !” said he, sud- 
denly approaching the couch on which the con- 
valescent was reclining. 

Najeska Ivanowna signed to him to be seated. 

“You are still very feeble?” 

“I have suffered much, sire.” 

“ I know it, and believe that I have felt the reper- 
cussion of each of your sufferings,” 

‘^You are good, sire!” 

No ! only I love you !” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


185 


Najeska Ivanowna felt frightened, disturbed. She 
had wished to lead the king to more platonic senti- 
ments. 

“ I love you. I may tell you so, without failing in 
honor, for I come to ask you to be mine.” 

Madame de Mineleko, for a moment, believed it an 
insult ; she grew pale. 

“ Oh ! do not mistake the sense of my words !” said 
his majesty, quickly. “You told me, the morning of 
that terrible day when — when this strange accident 
happened to you — that you would never belong to 
another man than your husband. Well, this is what 
I came to tell you ; your husband, instead of being a 
protector, is a constant danger to you; his jealousy 
continually on the alert, is a menace of death sus- 
pended over your head. Although you have main- 
tained the most profound silence upon the name of 
your aggressor, no one is deceived. The whole resi- 
dence knows that the blows which you have re- 
ceived, have been the work of the prince.” 

“ Sire?” 

“Do not say ‘no!’ Your conduct undoubtedly is 
magnanimous, noble ; you endeavor to defend the 
father of your children. But you will not succeed in 
it; everybody knows that it is he. Well, you m.st 
leave this — this brute who has dared to strike yoL I” 

“Ah! your majesty, do not continue. I can hear 
no more,” cried Najeska Ivanowna, anxious still to 
defend Mineleko. “Yes, my husband is jealous, yes, 
he has faults; but his qualities are great !” 

“Yes, I know — I know all that,” interrupted the 
king; ‘‘but, I entreat you, do not excite yourself 
thus. You know as well, and eyen better than I, 
that hereafter you cannot remain with him, Who 


186 


HEB ROYAL LOVER. 


can tell what he will dare some fine day ! Do not 
forget the death of Kassan!” 

“Sire! — sire! you become unjust, and I will dare 
to tell you so; almost insane!” 

“ That is all the same, allo w me to continue. He is 
of an unequaled violence, and he will never change 
now. One easily bends a reed in the direction 
wherein we desire, but what impulsion, other than 
that which it has taken, can we give to an old 
gnarled trunk?” 

The king was speaking the truth ; already in her 
own mind, Najeska Ivanowna had often thought 
how many moments of her past life had been horri- 
ble ; these painful reminiscences brought her back 
to the day in which she had seen her husband for 
the last time. It was with a shiver of terror that she 
recalled his contorted face at the frightful moment 
when, whipping her as one chastises a dog, he had 
so ignominiously outraged her, her, daughter and 
wife of a prince ! This offense would be always an 
indelible stain for her, which nothing could efface. 

“Listen to me,” continued the king, very gently. 
“You must demand a divorce.” 

“But my children?” 

“Your children? They will be given to you, for it 
is he who has been to blame. It is he, who in the 
presence of a witness, your groom, and seen from a 
distance by two flower-girls, who have testified 
against him, has inflicted an outrage on you, more 
than sufficient for you to gain your cause.” 

“But what is the situation of a divorced woman, 
sire?” 

“When this divorced woman becomes the wife of 
a king, do you believe thg,t any on§ would dare to 
cast a stone at her,^” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


187 


Then, then only, Najeska Ivanowna compre- 
hended all. The king wished to marry her ! For a 
moment she was dazzled. What a change would be 
made in her existence! She would go from the 
arms of that jealous brute, to fall in those of this 
patient, noble, and gentle king, great lord to the tips 
of his fingers, who, like an impregnable fortress, 
would defend her against all tempests. 

But, strange thing, notwithstanding all the allure- 
ment this perspective might have, Najeska Ivan- 
owna was not happy. 

“Sire,” she suddenly responded, as if she had pos- 
sessed the gift of reading the future, “leave me to 
my husband! With him I am in my element; I 
feel instinctively, only too well, I am not born for 
happiness. Would you like to know what a Bo- 
hemian told me one day in telling my fortune? 
After having minutely examined the lines of my 
hand, these are the words which she uttered:” 

“‘Child, one day, a handsome king will cross 
your path of life ; he w ill love you, and will want to 
set his royal cross upon your brow. But the crown 
will only hover over your head ; it will always re- 
main suspended there. Flee from this king — flee 
from him as you would flee from a pestilence ! The 
only dowry which he will bring you, will be shame 
and death!’”* 

“Ah, sire! pardon me for relating these things to 
you, but the impression which they have left on my 
mind, is one of those which cannot be effaced. In 
spite of all, I have remained a little savage of the 
borders of the Black Sea. Whatever my French in- 
structresses may have done, I am still that which I 

* This prophecy was really made to the unhappy woman whose his- 
tory is recorded in this true romance. 


188 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


was at my birth; my head crammed with supersti 
tions. No, sire ! I will not demand a divorce. I do 
not wish to become your wife !” 

“Why?” demanded the king. 

“ Why— because I would excite too much indigna- 
tion!” 

“No, it is because you do not love me!” 

Najeska Ivanowna was silent. 

“Oh, no! you do not love me!” pursued the king. 
“Otherwise, could you reason thus with so much 
serenity, with so much tranquillity?” 

Najeska Ivanowna was trembling like a leaf agi- 
tated by the wind. And this was what the king 
called being tranquil ! She remained, however, ob- 
stinately silent. 

“I still insist, Najeska Ivanowna! I will say 
more ; I exact the truth from your lips. Why, on 
that hallowed morning, when I was alone with you 
in the pavilion, did you tremble at my touch ? Why, 
but just now, at my entrance, this emotion that I be- 
lieved I observed, if you do not love me? Najeska 
Ivanowna, I pray you, answer me ; see you not that 
your silence makes me mad?” 

The king was so handsome, at this moment, his 
manly form was breathing such a passion of expec- 
tation and of love, that Najeska Ivanowna felt a 
voluptuous thrill run through her veins; strange 
emotions, such as those that Charles Ferdinand, and 
he alone, in her life, had already several times ex- 
cited in her, filling her heart with a sweet and ten- 
der admiration. Yes, she loved him! — loved him 
with all the strength of her young soul; neverthe- 
less, she still hesitated. 

If only, in that moment, she had listened to her 
hesitations 1 If, instead of allowing herself to be 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


189 


fascinated, blinded by the charm that the king’s 
presence was infiltrating in her, she had resisted I 
Did the king see? did he divine the conflict? 

Suddenly a joyous cry escaped from his heart. In 
a moment his arms infolded this beloved woman, 
and delirious kisses, which he could not restrain, 
rained upon the princess. 

“ Thou lovest me ! — thou lovest me! Ah! do not 
defend thyself ! — do not say no ! Thou lovest me as 
I love thee ; I inhale it in the sigh which exhales 
from thy breast, in the breath of thy lips, in the hu- 
midity of thy beautiful eyes ! Thou shalt be my 
wife, dost thou hear well? my wife! the well-be- 
loved wife of thy king ! No more objections; I have 
thought of all. I have written to the Emperor of 
Caucasus, praying him to change the post of the 
Prince of Mineleko. My demand has been accepted ; 
Mineleko will return here no more. To-day even, 
thou shalt enter at the bar thy plea for a divorce, 
and thy door will be forever forbidden to this man!” 

“But, if you should cease one day to love me?” 

Like a sorrowful sigh, this phrase escaped from 
the lips of Najeska Ivanowna, that those of the 
king held hermetically sealed under his own. 

“ Will the sun ever cease to shine?” responded he, 
softly. 

Najeska Ivanowna was for a moment in such a 
state of intoxicating happiness that she could no 
longer resist! There, holding her pressed against his 
heart, the king, in fervent words, painted her fu- 
ture, this always ideal future when it is represented 
by the glowing words of love, but which reality 
never attains. 

Before the departure of his majesty every question 
was decided. The princess would send for an advo- 


190 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


cate that the king recommended to her ; she would 
see Mineleko no more, “and this was yet too light a 
punishment for him,” the king said, “for, if justice 
had followed its course, the penalty had been two 
years in prison, and consequently the complete an- 
nihilation of his whole career, that his cowardly out- 
rage would have brought him, without speaking of 
the murder of his valet in which, with or without 
reason, justice believed to see the hands of the 
prince who, in his paroxysm of rage, became a dan- 
gerous and even criminal madman.” 

Najeska Ivanowna angrily wished to interrupt 
him. 

“Do not excuse him!” the king said to her, closing 
her mouth with a long kiss, and assuring her by the 
most explicit oaths, that he would marry her as 
soon as the time imposed by the law should have ex- 
pired, after the sentence of divorce. Besides, the 
case of Madame de Mineleko was so clear that there 
would not be a shadow of difficulty in seeing her 
demand granted. 


heu royal lover. 


191 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE DIVORCE. 

Monsieur de Mineleko, the fifth evening of his ar- 
rival in the Caucasian capital, and consequently the 
ninth after his departure from the Thessalian resi- 
dence, did not receive the customary dispatches in 
regard to his wife’s health. Some \ery grave affairs 
retained him, which annoyed him very much, for 
his trunks were hardly unstrapped before obliging 
friends, always eager to propagate bad news, had 
very privately informed him that the King of Thes- 
saly had solicited and obtained from his cousin of 
Caucasus, the recall of his ambassador. They were 
already even designating his successor. Whatever 
Mineleko did to learn them, he could not find out the 
reasons alleged by the Thessalian court ! 

This was not only making him very uneasy, but, 
for the present, was rendering his return to Thes- 
saly impossible. His conscience on the alert was tell- 
ing him the true cause of his ‘disgrace, he believed 
the situation to be still more grave, for he knew that 
in Thessaly, where the autocracy is not absolute as 
in Caucasus, the tribunals were independent of the 
king. He was saying to himself that, notwithstand- 
ing the efforts of Charles Ferdinand XVIII, the 
flower-girls might have spoken in a more positive 
manner, and the groom have renounced his silence. 
His majesty would undoubtedly have much trouble 
to stifle the affair. On the other hand, he was ac- 
quainted with the customs of his country. He knew 
how, under a pretext of giving you a change of air. 


m 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


if they found you offensive in high places, they 
quickly and easily dispatched you to the Pacific 
coast. He was thinking, then, that for the present, 
it would be more prudent not to inquire into it and 
to remain where he was. 

Twelve days after his installation in Caucasus he 
received a shock, under the stroke of which he was 
felled to the earth. 

“A large letter for his highness!” 

It was Vassili again, the faithful Vassili, who, 
having followed his master in his disgrace, was 
speaking thus while handing him a letter which 
bore the official seal. 

Why, at this very simple news, did a strange 
throbbing agitate Mineleko's heart? 

Slowly he ascended the stairs, determined to open 
the letter only when he should be entirely alone. 

Arrived in his chamber, he leaned for a moment 
against the frame of an open window ; his forehead 
resting upon his large hand, his fingers buried in his 
thick hair, a veritable thick and black lion’s mane 
which the wind was stirring, he was listening me- 
chanically to the confused and distant murmurs 
which were rising from the drowsy fields, a harmo- 
nious concert of water, trees, and zephyrs, the even- 
ing song of grateful nature, in the divine language 
of starry and serene nights. The moon, like a silver 
disk, was diffusing a light which seemed to lighten 
his gloomy soul. To all those voices, to all those 
murmurs, the stings of a reproachful conscience were 
responding ; the months, the weeks, the hours even 
of the first days of his marriage were crowding in 
multitudes in his heavy head. 

How the little Najeska Ivanowna had loved the 
sublime and silent language of those nights I How 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


193 


he had ridiculed these romantic ideas, then, which 
had traversed that pretty fantastic head, completely 
fille'd with the marvelous! He, in his turn, felt him- 
self attracted toward these beauties which he 
scarcely comprehended. Ah 1 if it was given him to 
live the past over again ! if he had known how to 
moderate his gloomy and jealous character, he 
would not find himself in this terrible labyrinth ! 

Suddenly he thinks of the letter received and yet 
unopened ; he must, however, resolve to break the 
seal. Reluctantly he leaves the window, and goes 
sadly to seat himself near the table, on which a 
lamp is burning which Vassili has just placed there. 

“Does his highness still want me?” asks the faith- 
ful servant. 

“ You may retire; I will ring when your presence 
will be necessary.” 

Vassili bows profoundly, and Mineleko then opens 
the letter. 

Presently, a terrible imprecation is heard. The 
prince stands tottering, with the letter in his hand ; 
looking around him his immoderately dilated pupils 
perceive nothing — nothing but the terrifying news 
which he doubts still. 

The message apprehended was the princess’ de- 
mand for a divorce, very clearly drawn up by her 
advocate; “this demand,” the lawyer added, “has 
been already sent to the ministry.” 

For more than an hour, with that stupid look 
which embraces all and sees nothing, the ambassa- 
dor remains nailed there, annihilated in his easy- 
chair. One thought alone survives the catastrophe 
which overwhelms him. 

“Ah! it was for this, then, that the king had dis- 
missed him ! It was to more effectually delude the 


194 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


young woman — his wife! — his Najeska Ivanowna! 
—the life of his life I— that he had so hastily re- 
moved him. Ah ! scoundrel ! — monster 1 — thou shalt 
pay me for it I I swear that thou shalt pay me ! 
Though I perish with thee, I will kill thee I” 

The fury of the prince, that insane fury which al- 
ways was impelling him to commit extravagant 
deeds, was re-awakened with all its savage violence. 

Vassili was waiting in an apartment near to that 
of the prince. Since a long time, the devoted ser- 
vant was not mistaken in the precursory symptoms 
of his master’s paroxysms of rage. But, having 
rocked him as an infant, he understood him so per- 
fectly that he knew positively that if he was violent, 
he would at least never descend to crime ; so when 
at that time all were suspecting him of the assas- 
sination of Kassan, an interior voice was impera- 
tively saying to the brother of the victim that it was 
impossible, impossible that this master, who wept 
for the servant almost as much as Vassili himself, 
could be guilty ! 

On the contrary, at the time of the assault in the 
forest, he had not hesitated to believe that it was 
Mineleko who had committed it ; the disgrace which 
had so closely followed this violence, had not sur- 
prised him. 

While listening to the irregular and precipitate 
steps in the prince’s apartment, which succeeded 
the profound silence of a short time before, Vassili 
suspected that something abnormal was occurring. 
He was frightened. 

My God ! if he only had some influence over the 
ambassador ! if it was permitted him to enter and 
say to him, “ Master, my master ! listen to a man 
who is entirely devoted to you ! Instead of acting 


EEB ROYAL LOVER, 


195 


under the influence of an impotent passion, calm 
yourself! compose yourself!” 

But the unhappy man dared not. Nevertheless, 
not being able to restrain himself, and fearing an 
irreparable catastrophe, he at length decided to 
knock gently. At first he obtains no response ; but 
he is not discouraged, and his perseverance is at 
last recompensed. An altered voice demands : 

“ Who is there?” 

“Monsieur le Ambassadeur, it is I, Vassili.” 

“What do you want of me?” 

“That your excellency will permit me to enter.” 

The door opens. The prince was so changed, so 
horrible to look at that the old man drew back 
frightened. 

“My master! my dear master!” he cried, “I am 
only a beast, I know it, but a beast that is absolutely 
devoted to you. Calmer and more reflective than 
your highness, I implore you, since there is at pres- 
ent no other devoted person near you, to be pleased 
to tell all to your servant, and allow yourself to be 
advised a little by him.” 

Vassili must have had an all-powerful love and in- 
terest for his master in order to dare to speak to him 
thus. The broken hearted Mineleko was touched by 
this great proof of affection. 

“Poor, courageous fellow !” said he. “Thoulovest 
me, then? thou lovest me in spite of my character, 
in spite of my brutalities? And they — ” 

He giggled ferociously, and showed that which he 
had just received and where the adjectives “brute” 
and “beast” were written in speaking of him. Yas- 
sili cast his eyes upon it ; in a moment he compre- 
hended all. He was struck. 


196 


heu royal lover. 


“ Monseigneur, ” said he, “to-morrow morning it 
will be necessary to see an advocate, whom you 
must choose from among the most celebrated ; for 
this evening, there is nothing to do but to endeavor 
to calm yourself, and go to sleep. Your ideas, after 
a rest, will be more correct, more lucid. 

“Endeavor to calm myself! Try to sleep!” and 
Mineleko’s giggling increased again. “Couldst thou 
sleep, thou, if some one was plucking thy heart out?” 

“No, monseigneur. I know you are unhappy, and 
I wish to do all in my power to assist you to recover 
your lost tranquillity. But, what at present, does 
there remain for you to do?” 

The poor old man was right. With hands as ten- 
der as those of a woman he commenced to undress 
his master who, completely unconscious of that 
which was passing around him, suffered him to do 
it like a child. 

Notwithstanding the fury which was rending him, 
Mineleko comprehended how culpable he had been. 
To whip his wife ! a Princess of Mineleko ! Was it 
astonishing that after that she demanded a divorce? 
We will expatiate no longer upon the unhappy man’s 
despair. 

The next day the Prince of Mineleko sent for one 
of the most celebrated advocates of the bar of the 
Caucasian capital. There resulted from this visit, 
the same day, a summons sent to the address of 
Madame de Mineleko in Thessaly. By this sum- 
mons the prince acquainted Najeska Ivanowna that 
although his recall from the position of Ambassador 
to the Court of Thessaly was not official, he was not, 
until further orders, to return to that country, and 
that remaining at present in the Caucasian capital, 
he summoned her to return to the conjugal domicile. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


197 


To this summons the next courier reported this 
simple response : 

“Never!” signed “Najeska Ivanowna de Narish.” 

Thus she was repudiating even the name which he 
had given her! Truly, all was indeed ended be- 
tween them. 


198 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 

APREY TO REMORSE. 

The divorce uf the Prince and Princess de Mine- 
leko was quickly decided, and the case was won by 
the princess, who triumphed upon all the counts. 
The Supreme Court found on the chapter of brutali- 
ties and harsh measures, the most overwhelming 
charges against the ambassador. The guardianship 
of the children fell also to the princess, who had al- 
ways shown herself worthy of it ; the father had 
only the right of seeing them at certain epochs de- 
termined by the law, and then the interview could 
only take place in the presence of witnesses. 

Those events did not occur as rapidly as we relate 
them here. All the formalities inherent to a law- 
suit followed their course, and the suit lasted no less 
than three months. When all was terminated it 
was in the month of August. 

The din of the “Mineleko scandal,” as the affair 
of the ex- Ambassador of Caucasus was called, would 
have been extinguished by other news and divers 
other facts, if gradually, and in spite of the silence 
which the Caucasian journals had preserved, an ex- 
traordinarily incredible history had not fallen like 
a bomb in the midst of the Thessalian nobility. The 
thing was certainly very astonishing; and there 
was a great commotion in the residence city. This 
was the singular report. It was whispered in the 
capital of Caucasus, where the suit had taken place, 
that at this part of the interrogatory: “Who has 
written this anonymous letter?” a witness had 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


199 


arisen, requesting to speak. This man was Bolski. 
Invited to explain, “Monsieur le President,” said 
he, “here is this inauspicious note, the cause of so 
much trouble. I have discovered the author of it ; 
it touches the aristocracy of his country very closely, 
for it is a Thessalian count. Am I to name him?” 

This declaration produced a general stupefaction ; 
they looked at each other astonished, dismayed. 

Dimitri Feodorowitch had yet said nothing of his 
discovery. He feared so much the prince’s violent 
and passionate character, that he had preferred to 
remain perfectly silent until the day wherein court 
should set. 

As soon as Mineleko, on the first evening when he 
had sent for him, had shown him the missive 
snatched from the princess, Bolski had recognized 
that the anonymous letter and that note came from 
the same hand, although both were in a disguised 
chirography. He had based his inquiries upon that. 

Mineleko, at the testimony of his agent, bounded 
like a lion under the lash of his tamer. 

“I demand,” said he, “that the name of this man 
may be delivered to public execration!” 

The anxiety is extreme; they fear! they desire! 
Who is the vile lord who has not the courage to ac- 
knowledge his acts. 

The clear and firm voice of Bolski cast then to the 
contempt of the public, a name hitherto respected, 
the name of Heiligenthal. 

“It is Count Waldemar de Heiligenthal!” 

“Then it is he !— he !— who has killed my servant !” 
said the prince to his advocate. 

The prince had desired to pursue the affair, but 
they made him observe that although it was proba- 
ble that Heiligenthal was the murderer, the letter 


200 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


snatched from the princess proved nothing, abso- 
lutely nothing. He had asked when would she finish 
by granting him an interview. Was it proved that 
this interview had ever taken place? Nothing abso- 
lutely indicated it. 

With the rapidity of lightning all this history 
came like a fulminating bomb, to explode in Thes- 
saly. 

Waldemar attempted at first to deny it, but that 
was impossible ; Bolski had taken every precaution 
in order that Mineleko’s vengeance might be com- 
plete. With the perseverance of a fanatic con- 
vinced of his cause, Dimitri Feodorowitch had suc- 
ceeded in discovering the servant by whom Walde- 
mar had sent the letter ; the evidence of this girl 
was overwhelming. Waldemar ’s disgrace was ter- 
rible ; none of his friends or comrades of the preced- 
ing day would give him their hand any more. 

Walpurga was disheartened by the blow which 
crushed her brother ; however, she did not lose her 
title of lady of honor. She was sincerely pitied, and 
the lucky and affectionate protection accorded her 
by the royal princesses, much grieved at the misfor- 
tune which had fallen upon her, averted from her 
head the shame and anathema which weighed upon 
Waldemar; but as to the assassination of Kassan, 
the idea that he had been the author of it appeared 
so absurd and so impossible, he being able with 
much facility to prove an alibi on the night of the 
murder, that this accusation was not credited for a 
moment. In order to demonstrate that Walpurga 
was more highly respected than ever at court, the 
betrothed princess had herself constantly accom- 
panied the young countess. 

Walpurga loved her brother tenderly; her 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


201 


thoughts were equally divided at present between 
him who was disquieting her, and Conrad, whom 
she adored. 

What was becoming of the poor outcast rejected 
by all? More affected than he wished to allow him- 
self to appear, the disgrace which had overtaken 
him was troubling him. 

His arrogant soul refusing to acknowledge how 
much repentance and confession rehabilitates the 
guilty, he was going about, asserting to everybody 
that this infernal history of the anonymous letter 
was only an odious machination, plotted by an ig- 
noble girl of the lowest class, in expectation of 
pocketing some money. But, whatsoever he might 
say, no one believed him. 

Despair had become his habitual guest ; remorse 
was overwhelming him, he could not eat, he never 
laughed. As everybody, embarrassed by his pres- 
ence, was Ostensibly affecting to avoid him, he 
went out no more in the day-time. Awaiting the 
night like a noxious and malevolent beast, he fre- 
quented isolated roads, seeking to breathe the pure 
air of which his withered chest as well as his fever- 
ish head had such sore need. Notwithstanding all 
the poesy of the sleeping fields, notwithstanding all 
the fragrance of the hedges of elder and hawthorn, 
notwithstanding the perfume which was escaping 
from the full-blown flowers of August, notwithstand- 
ing the obscurity of the firmament all studded with 
a thousand fires, the unhappy man remained in 
different to these beauties. For him to walk was a 
necessity but a weariness also ; to rest, a necessity 
as well as a burden ; for, if he had been willing to 
undertake anything he would have found the same 
obstacles opposed to him everywhere; his felony. 


202 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


his dishonor. A German proverb says, ‘‘ He who 
digs a pit for another often falls into it him- 
self.” Was not this the case with the young man? 
He had sent that anonymous letter with the expec- 
tation of succeeding in awakening the jealousy of 
the ambassador against the king, and to also pre- 
vent Najeska Ivanowna continuing with the latter, 
what he termed her “infernal coquetries.” And 
what had it led to? First, to a divorce, which was 
completely delivering her with whom he was so des- 
perately enamored, to the king, a much more for- 
midable rival than the terrible ambassador; sec- 
ondly, his everlasting disgrace, an indelib le stain 
with which his forehead would remain forever 
branded. 

Although no one had been able to suspect that the 
king was going to marry Madame de Mineleko — Hei- 
ligenthal no more than others — although Najeska 
Ivanowna had lived in the most reserved and re- 
tired manner during the time of the divorce suit, a 
dull rumor commenced to fly about the city. It was 
said very privately, very secretly, that the king was 
more desperately in love than ever with the young 
and charming princess. 

For Waldemar, who had nothing noble in his na- 
ture but the parchments of his ancestors, another 
cause, more serious for him perhaps than the re- 
morse of his infamous conduct, was contributing no 
little to continue the disquietude with which his 
heart was rent. Like all of us, Heiligenthal clung 
to life; whatever may be the object which we pro- 
pose to ourselves, whatever may be the road which 
we may trace for ourselves in it, to live is to live, 
the skeptics say, and the young count was of their 
opinion. But before Bolski had, in open court, sur- 


SER ROYAL LOVER. 


203 


rendered his name to universal condemnation, Hci- 
ligenthal was not ignorant that Mineleko had con- 
tinually repeated to whomsoever would listen to 
him, “If ever I discover the cowardly author of this 
infernal letter — and I will discover him, though I 
move heaven and earth! — whoever he may be, 
whatsoever place he may inhabit, I will go and I 
will kill him !” The prince knew him now, and he 
was the man to execute his threat. He would as- 
suredly find means to put his hand on Heiligenthal. 
Already, Waldemar believed he perceived that some 
time since, a man whom he recognized to have for- 
mally seen attached to the Caucasian Embassy, ap- 
peared to shadow him wherever he went. 

He knew that through the infiuence that the King 
of Thessaly had been able to exercise over the Em- 
peror of Caucasus, Mineleko having been sent in 
twenty-four hours after his trial, by his govern- 
ment, on a distant mission to the Celestial Empire, 
to decide a question about the frontiers, could not 
yet appear. Did the ambassador fear that Hei- 
ligenthal might fiee from a country in which he was 
now in disgrace? Yes, certainly! and he had him 
secretly watched so that he might not escape him. 
But Mineleko had no need fco fear. Waldemar, 
chained to his employment, too poor to travel, was 
obliged to remain. 

The terrible ambassador would find his prey 
again, however late ifc might be. 


204 


EER ROYAL LOVER. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 

KEGRETS. 

Ten months after these events, that is to say the 
twenty-second of June, the day fixed for the celebra- 
tion of the marriage of the Princess Agusta to 
Prince George of Pattenpouff had arrived. The 
ceremony was to take place with great pomp in the 
chapel of the chateau. In order to mark its so- 
lemnity, not only the Empress of Hindostan, the 
august grandmother of the Princesses of Thessaly, 
with her inseparable daughter, the Princess Cory- 
sande was to assist at it ; but also the Prince of 
Delhi, the hereditary prince of the crown of Hindos- 
tan, had promised to come accompanied by his wife 
and daughters. The Prince and Princess Imperial 
of Babylon and their children were to be present, as 
well as a great number of other personages of im- 
perial or royal blood. Last, but not least, the Duke 
of Africa, was also observed there, since he was a 
marriageable hereditary prince, the eldest son of 
one of those petty opera-comique kings which arise 
in the East, become the hot-house which incubates 
quantities of those crowned heads destined by the 
surge of revolution and of war to live a day ; as 
quickly carried away as the froth of circumstances 
has produced them, now become useless pebbles, 
following the pleasure and interest of great powers, 
so many spokes set in the political wheels of Europe, 
that they often derange. 

All the women and the young girls of the city had 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


205 


but one occupation, a very absorbing anxiety to 
learn the royal bride's trousseau, the magnificent 
present of the Empress of Hindostan. All other 
questions disappeared before this one. How many 
gowns has she? What are they? What are the 
number of chemises and petticoats? The more 
thrifty housewives, thinking more of the useful 
than the ornamental, and endeavoring to divine 
how may sheets and pillow-cases, gowns, etc., etc., 
the young bride would have. 

Then there was the subject of jewels. This one, 
for instance, became inexhaustible for the imagina- 
tions of the young girls who only possessed some 
little cross or medallions of no value. They knew 
that the king was going to give a superb parure of 
diamonds. In the show-window of Knapp, the 
court jeweler, the diadem was already displayed, 
placed upon a cushion of sky-blue velvet, similar to 
a stream of liquid fire. How many feminine eyes, 
on seeing this marvel rested there amazed, envying 
the happiness of this fair daughter of the king ! To 
this priceless treasure many others were added; 
there was a splendid riverie entirely of brilliants ; 
farther on there were ear-rings whose fine pearls, 
real treasures brought from distant seas, were as 
large as wren's eggs; there were some loose flowers 
which, similar to a glow-worm whose light betrays 
it under the blade of grass, were soon to sparkle 
like scintillations of fire in the coiffure of the young 
bride. 

All had been given the order to create master- 
pieces. The court dressmaker, Fraulein Schafskopf, 
was exhibiting some magnificent things in robes. 
How beautiful were those morning negliges ! How 
could one help but love the woman who, clothed 


206 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


thus, seemed to conceal at her pleasure charms 
which she permitted you to divine. 

What tortures for Walpurga, obliged to accom- 
pany the betrothed princess. On all her excursions 
the poor young girl was thinking more of her hand- 
some Conrad, whom she so desperately loved. But 
the intensity of her affections did not augment the 
chances of her marriage. Her father and mother, 
notwithstanding the disgrace of their son, remained 
insensible and implacable. Walpurga should never 
belong to a man, except one having rank in the 
nobility, whereas the ennoblement on which Madame 
Haller and her son counted so much did not ad- 
vance. 

As we have already remarked, Walpurga had 
confided in the two young princesses ; she had re- 
lated to them her whole love romance, with its hopes 
and its fears. The young confidantes had interested 
themselves in it, and had very often spoken of it 
to their father. But Charles Ferdinand remained 
inexorable. What reason had he to ennoble the 
Haller family? The little countess was certainly 
charming, and Conrad was a handsome cavalier ; 
but that was not enough. “Is it sufficient that a 
girl of proud lineage may be desperately smitten 
with a commoner, in order that this commoner may 
obtain titles which are owed only to birth or excep- 
tional merits?” the grim ministers, all of them old 
and more or less egotistical, had responded to his 
majesty when he deigned to submit the question to 
them. 

The unusual circumstances which had just har- 
assed the life of Madame de Mineleko had hin- 
dered Walpurga from seeing much of her, and also 
from becoming intimate enough with her to ask her 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


207 


for her influence with the king. Besides, the very 
uncertain connection of the king and Madame de 
Mineleko, the slight doubt on the subject of her 
brother’s relations with the ambassadress which 
had arisen in her, even before the revelations of the 
divorce revealing Waldemar’s role with the prin- 
cess, had hindered Mademoiselle de Heiligenthal, 
with her exquisite tact, from ever addressing such 
a prayer to her. And now, after her brother’s base- 
ness to the ambassadress, she could not congratu- 
late herself enough for not having spoken. 

Madame Haller was becoming more bitter from 
day to day. Her Conrad ! her handsome Conrad ! 
had he his equal in the king’s guards? the select 
regiment of Thessaly. Who carried his head with 
an ease and grace as royal as he? Was he not al- 
ways and everywhere remarked? Might not one 
easily have believed that he was a prince’s son, 
rather than a commoner’s child? 

As for Madame de Mineleko, she only went out 
now between her two babies in their nurses’ arms. 
It was a charming spectacle that of this mother so 
young with her beautiful children. 

The princess had suffered no little during that 
time so fllled with anxieties, and uncertitudes. Con- 
tradictory sentiments were again struggling in her 
heart. In reality, she was often moved with pity 
about her husband’s fate ; the unhappy man loved 
his children so much ! and hereafter he would see 
so little of them. And she? was not the very vio- 
lence of the prince’s jealousy a proof of the love 
which he had vowed to her? This thought, like 
an acute pain, wounded profoundly the tender heart 
of the wife, as well as that of the mother. 

Far from him, having to suffer no more from his 

.4 


208 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


brutalities, nor his passions, ISTajeska Ivanowna was 
now forgetting all her divorced husband’s caprices, 
and only remembering his good and great quali- 
ties. Her compassionate soul was suffering with 
his sufferings. Now, in order to excuse him, the 
absent, the forsaken, she was seeking to accuse her- 
self. Notwithstanding his unjust violence, his in- 
jurious reproaches, with how many devoted atten- 
tions and tender affections had he not surrounded 
her? This morose husband had sometimes the 
solicitudes of a mother. She recollected that during 
the violent fever which she had on account of the 

duel in which he had killed H , he had watched 

her during twenty days and nights, refusing to in- 
trust her to other hands and obstinately refused to 
take either relaxation or repose, as long as his dear 
love was in danger. Her life, with those of her 
cherished babies, then unborn, was it not to him 
that she owed them? How much devotion then! 
How much kindness! But scarcely had she re- 
covered, before the suspicions, the jealousies of 
the preceding life, were resumed in the minutest 
manner. Yes, he must suffer much, this lion with 
the pared nails and the filed teeth ! Alas ! if she 
was in his place, how unhappy, how desperate she 
would be. No more to see her dear children ! no 
more, at any hour, at any moment, to clasp to her 
heart these adored little angels ! what anguish ! 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


209 


CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE KING^S PRESENTS. 

Some evenings before the day on which the 
Princess Agusta’s marriage was to be celebrated, 
the king came to visit Najeska. He was radiant, 
for he was becoming more passionately in love. 
Since the painful events which she had just passed 
through, and over which her heart was still griev- 
ing much, Najeska Ivanowna had adopted as her 
colors black and white ; were those not truly the 
only ones in harmony with the thoughts of her 
soul? alternately in mourning for a past perhaps 
regretted, or full of hope for a future sometimes ap- 
prehended. 

When the king was announced to her, although 
she knew that he had come to fulfill the pledged 
promise, a slight sensation which she could not ex- 
plain, traversed her heart. 

The legal time after which she could marry again 
had just expired. 

Hardly had the servant left the apartment than 
the king rushing toward Najeska Ivanowna, pressed 
her tenderly to his heart. 

“Dost thou doubt me now, now, since I come to 
thee, happy to keep the plighted troth which is 
going to make the happiness, the joy of our lives?” 

“Have I ever doubted your majesty?” 

“Ah! let us break the vain formalities of rank 
and call me thy husband, thy slave, thy toy, for I 
will be all that 1 Everything combines to produce 
auspicious omens for us. My eldest daughter enters 
upon her new happiness in eight days, and we will 


210 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


marry at the same time. Our marrias^e will be kept 
secret, however, until it is an accomplished fact, on 
account ” 

“ On account of the Empress of Hindostan, is it 
not?” exclaimed Najeska Ivanowna. “Yes, you are 
right — thou art right!” she added, more tenderly, 
gliding, full of confidence, into the king’s arms. 
“And when does the empress arrive?” Madame de 
Mineleko suddenly demanded. 

“Day after to-morrow. I have just received a 
dispatch announcing this news. She wishes to be 
here several days before Agusta’s marriage.” 

“ But is it not her dearest dream to marry you to 
Princess Corysande?” 

“Perhaps, but the heart cannot be thus com- 
manded.” 

“Oh! sire!” said Najeska Ivanowna, seized with 
instinctive fear, “consider well upon that which 
you are about to do before uniting yourself to one 
by the sacred ties of marriage ; weigh everything 
well ; there is yet time ! I entreat you, do not en- 
gage yourself immediately — wait — let us wait. Who 
urges us? Ah! if some day you were to have re- 
grets, to reproach me ! If the world, if the royal 
family especially, were to blame me, to cast at me 
that I have been an intriguent, endeavoring to cir- 
cumvent you ! Oh ! sire ! — my king !” 

“Reassure yourself, my best beloved, they will 
never cast that at your head.” And, pulling out a 
jewel-casket which he had hitherto kept concealed, 
the king offered it to the trembling young woman. 

On pressing the spring of the casket, the cover 
immediately opened, and a splendid diadem all glit- 
tering with precious stones, appeared to the dazzled 
eyes of the princess. 


EEB BOTAL LOVEB. 


211 


“All the diamonds that you received from your 
first husband, you have delicately returned; the 
second does not wish to see you less adorned. Ac- 
cording to the rites of the ceremonial of the fete, you 
must make one of the royal cortege which will con- 
duct my daughter to the foot of the altar. In this 
imposing suite, T wish you to surpass all the other 
ladies in beauty and magnificence ; here, then, is 
the diadem which will encircle your brow, oh I my 
adored queen!” 

“You are good ! you are generous!” 

“Do not thank me, Najeska Ivanowna. The hap- 
piness that I will experience to see you thus, I have 
managed like a true egotist; I will enjoy it all 
alone ; for if you pass unperceived by all the flat- 
terers who surround you with their hollow and 
false compliments, you will shine for me with all 
the brilliancy of a star in the midst of a clear and 
translucent sky.” 

“I do not wish you to commit any imprudent acts 
for me. Your wife will be content and happy to 
live retired. In no case must they beb'eve that I 
have married you for ambition, for love of ostenta- 
tion. My position will become so delicate that it be- 
hooves me to pay double attention to my slightest 
actions.” 

The princess’ divorce left her in possession of a 
very modest income. She had haughtily refused 
to accept the alimony which the law compelled the 
prince to give her. 

Her father, in his later years, besides his losses at 
baccarat, had gambled on the Bourse, and a great 
part of his fortune had remained hooked to the 
thorns and brambles of speculation. The old do- 
main on the shores of the Black Sea was now the 


212 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


most valuable part of the young lady’s fortune, and 
one can imagine the small income there would be 
derived from such a property situated in a place as 
isolated as savage ; scarcely enough for herself and 
daughters to subsist on. 

Madame de Mineleko (we will continue to call her 
thus) referred to all these details, but the king grew 
impatient. 

“ Oh ! what is your fortune to me ! all the circum- 
stances outside of yourself are of such slight impor- 
tance to me, that I do not wish to hear them spoken 
of. Your interest, henceforth, will alone concern 
me; leave me the care of occupying myself with it.” 

Some days later, the king sent for the notary of 
the royal household, and imparted to him, confiden- 
tially, the projected marriage. 

“I wish to make a donation to my future wife,” 
said he. “Draw up a legal deed.” 

The notary obeyed. 

The king, who knew how far Najeska Ivanowna 
pushed her delicacy, did not at first mention the 
subject to her, fearing that she might refuse the 
gift. Later, when the king’s marriage became a 
celebrated case, upon which all the tittle-tattle of 
silly, unoccupied minds alighted, each was pleased 
at least to render justice and homage to the abso- 
lute disdain for money which Najeska Ivanowna 
had given proof of. 

Despite the envy which her lofty fortune brought 
on her, despite the malevolent tattle, the unjust re- 
proaches which public malignity rained upon her, 
the princess remained impregnable upon the sub- 
ject of disinterestedness. 

In all these incidents, these conferences, the prin- 
cess gave proof of an unique delicacy. 


HEU ROYAL LOVER, 


213 


CHAPTER XXX. 

A FEEBLE REED. 

The Empress of Hindostan arrived on the day 
and hour appointed. The inhabitants of the little 
residence came in crowds to the depot to see the il- 
lustrious travelers disembark. 

All the court carriages, freshly varnished, pre- 
sented quite a fine appearance at the reception of 
the extremely rich Hindoos. The king, in a royal 
equipage, surrounded by his children, followed by 
the nobility of the kingdom, went to meet his 
mother-in-law. 

The special train which was to bring the imperial 
family did not keep them waiting ; it was signaled 
at the regular hour, and soon after, to the deafen- 
ing accompaniment of whistles, the engine throwing 
jets of smoke and vapor, made its entrance in the 
depot. The locomotive had hardly stopped before 
the King of Thessaly advanced, gravely and majes- 
tically, toward the carriage which contained these 
eminent personages. As soon as the door was 
opened, and the foot-board was lowered, the sover- 
eign and the young princess entered the royal 
carriage. After having saluted the Empress of 
Hindostan and her suite, the king, still solemn, de- 
scended the first and hastened to offer his hand to 
the sovereign. Short, stout and squatty, wearing her 
past sixty years well, she was entirely clothed in 
black. Upon her head she wore under her bonnet of 
English orape, a widow’s cap in the fashion of 


214 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


Marie Stuart such as our neighbors across the chan- 
nel wear. 

Before this little woman with the blotched red 
face, all the civil and military authorities of Thes- 
saly came in gala costumes or magnificent uni- 
forms, and bowed respectfully. An instant after, fol- 
lowed by that ravishing group of Thessalian prin- 
cesses, came the Princess Corysande, a young 
woman of twenty-six, short and stout like her 
mother. She was not in mourning; she wore a 
pretty costume of navy blue English cloth. Then 
followed the ladies of honor, the aides-de-camp, 
correct and stiff; with all the phlegm of their race 
imprinted on their countenances like a programme. 

Every one installed in the court carriages, the 
cortege moved again, and proceeded to the royal 
chateau. There was a crowd this day in the streets 
of the little residence; all the curious," and they 
are numerous here, as elsewhere, were out. The 
royal carriages filed promptly through the broad 
airy streets, so straight that they could be traced by 
a line. Their horses going at a gallop, they traversed 
first the large public squares fined with the most di- 
versified modern monuments ; then the long royal 
street, which must be traversed first upon leaving 
the depoi; then, they filed through the Luisen-Platz 
with its eight corners, the most beautiful of the city 
squares. In the middle there arises the “Colonne 
de Louis,” the most remarkable commemorative 
monument in the capital, erected to the memory of 
one of the founders of the dynasty. From a dis- 
tance, this monument whose total height is thirty- 
five metres, has the appearance of a tower; it is 
the Column Vendome of Thessaly. As in that of 
Paris, one may enter and yi$itit; ^ one has the 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


215 


courage to climb the hundred and seventy-five steps 
of a circular staircase, protected by a simple iron 
balustrade, he may enjoy there a magnificent 
panorama. On the south side the view is arrested 
by the Luisen-Platz where a second palace arises, 
of less importance than the royal chateau, but 
joined to it by a glass gallery. It is here that the 
hereditary Prince of Thessaly generally resides, 
when he is married. During her visit, the Empress 
of Hindostan was to reside there. 

The royal carriages, emptied of their illustrious 
travelers, waited a certain time before the entrance 
of the little palace, wherein the empress was in- 
stalled. 

The king, after having assured himself that the 
royal “mother-in-law” wanted for nothing, retired, 
followed by his youngest children. The two eldest 
princesses remained with their grandmother. He 
entered his berlin, yoked to four horses, and they 
set out at a trot ; although the two palaces were 
united by a glass gallery, the two entrance doors 
opened on two different squares. 

The arrival of the imperial family of all Hindostan 
was going to derange this country truly patriarchal, 
where, during its sojourn, all the habits would be 
changed. The little private dinner which, this very 
evening, was to follow the reception of the old 
queen mother, had been deferred to nine o’clock. 
Now, for a court where a trifle becomes an event, 
this designation of inveterate customs would cer- 
tainly make an epoch. Nine o’clock in the evening! 
That was the custom of the empress ; it was neces- 
sary to conform to it ! What was to become of all 
those stomachs which, each day, from one end of 
the year to the other, an4 that from time immemg- 


216 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


rial, had seated themselves at table at five o’clock? 
For the residence city this innovation appeared ex- 
traordinary. 

The king, profiting by the few moments which 
left him at liberty between the arrival of the old 
empress and the hour wherein it would be necessary 
to rejoin her, ran quickly to Madame de Mineleko. 

“ Perhaps I cannot come again this evening, my 
best-beloved,” he said to her, sadly; “I am much 
grieved at it. Why must this heavy task of king 
and son-in-law keep me away from thee whom I 
adore and at whose feet I would wish to remain for- 
ever? But yet a few days, and I will leave thee no 
more ; yet a few days and I will be thine, as thou 
wilt be forever mine ! To be no longer an hour, 
an hour without thee ! to live of thy life ! Oh ! this 
happiness! how slow it is in coming?” 

After this short visit from the king, Najeska 
Ivanowna was entirely alone. Alone! was this 
really so? Oh! no, for was she not living with her 
recollections of the past, her thoughts of the future? 

This evening she received a visit from her advo- 
cate. But just returned from Caucasus, where she 
had sent him to terminate all the business of her di- 
vorce, he came to give her an account of his accom- 
plished mission. 

“ Princess, all is completed. You know that the 
Prince of Mineleko, before his departure, has at 
last, but not without difficulty, submitted to all the 
conditions decreed by the Supreme Court.” 

“ The refusal which you have made to accept of 
the pension of which you were to make use for your- 
self and your dear babies, and which he has only 
learned on his arrival in the Celestial Empire, has 
been painful to him ; his eagle head was grieved at 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


217 


it, those have written to me who surround him. Ah ! 
the blow which has struck him is too much, too 
heavy now for his rude nature ; he is stricken by 
it!” 

“At first, before leaving Europe, he wished to 
come here, to repossess you in spite of every one 
and take you far away with him, but some influ- 
ences in high places have prevented ; he has had to 
set out immediately. Then they made him compre- 
hend that all resistance had become useless. The 
King of Thessaly has brought a lively pressure to 
bear upon the emperor. Notwithstanding the pro- 
digious case that the Ambassador of Caucasus has 
made, his majesty has not hesitated to let him know 
that if he dared to re-enter Thessaly or to annoy you 
in any manner whatsoever, once his mission accom- 
plished he would send him, not as ambassador to 
another European court, but as a governor in a dis- 
tant station of the Pacific. You comprehend that 
such a terrible menace must have produced its 
effect.” 

“Is he much changed?” demanded Najeska Ivan- 
owna, not comprehending herself what strange in- 
terest still attached her to this man. But he was 
the father of her children, of her little babies, and 
such a tie is not so quickly annihilated. 

“Yes, he is much changed; at least, he was so, for 
I only saw him before his departure for his mission, 
from whence he will soon be able to return, for 
nearly ten months have already elapsed since that 
epoch. Really, it would grieve you to see him ! He 
is nothing but the shadow of himself. I believe that 
the remorse which he experiences for the brutal ac- 
tion to which he owes his divorce, pursues him 
night and day. Tp be separated from you, without 


218 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


any hope of return, seems to him beyond his 
strength. As to Monsieur de Heiligenthal, whom he 
designates the thief, the assassin of his joy, of his 
happiness, I should be much astonished if the am- 
bassador, as soon as he shall see himself at liberty, 
did not find the means some day or other to make 
him pay dearly for his infamous cowardice. I dare 
to tell you this, madam, because I know you to be 
kind and merciful. I have left there and I return 
here with the firm conviction that Monsieur de 
Mineleko is forever dedicated to misfortune, for 
he loves you still.” 

Najeska Ivanowna remained the whole evening 
buried in a profound reverie. This man, alone, here- 
after without wife, without children, since the law 
had taken them altogether away from him, occu- 
pied her thoughts almost exclusively. 

“The prince has appeared to me disheartened by 
the severity of the tribunal which leaves him only 
the right of seeing his children on rare occasions,” 
the advocate had said. 

Najeska Ivanowna had been incapable of hearing 
more ; an intense pain oppressed her heart. The 
unhappy man! what a chastisement was bis! And 
bitter tears rising to her eyes, she wept over the 
sufferings of him by whom she herself had suffered 
so much. She also was about to leave her well-be- 
loved children, her little girls, all white and rosy 
and already so affectionate. Oh ! but not for long, 
she could not live without them. 

During the short sojourn that she was to make 
with her royal husband in one of the remote chat- 
eaus of the capital, Najeska Ivanowna, for greater 
security, had decided that she would leave these 
JittJo beipgs with their uprsea, whoin sh© knew 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


219 


to be entirely devoted to them, under the protection 
of the Sisters of Mercy. There, in the shelter of 
that pious and inviolable sanctuary, she would have 
nothing to fear from the violent Mineleko, who on 
learning her absence might profit by it, perhaps, to 
abduct, to steal from her by the aid of a third 
party, since he could not act himself, her treasures, 
her only jewels. 

The convent of Sainte-Marie de la Miserecorde 
was only a few hours distant from the residence. 
The village in which this asylum of piety and devo- 
tion was situated did not belong to the territory of 
Thessaly. Last in the rugged summits of environ- 
ing mountains, it marked the first halting place out- 
side of the frontier of the kingdom of Charles Fer- 
dinand of Thessaly. 

The few days, however, which still separated 
Madame de Mineleko from her marriage with the 
king passed quickly, too quickly, perhaps, to accord 
with her wishes. 

This second union would soon be forever consum- 
mated. She was going to belong to the king for- 
ever ! Mineleko also was soon to be forever in de- 
spair. The year passed in his society, a time so short 
but so fertile in events, however, would be no more 
than a remembrance. The reality— life such as her 
vivid imagination had made her desire, would it 
commence for her? 

Alas! who will ever be able to fathom the depths 
of the human soul, and comprehend all its secret re- 
cesses ! 

This young and beautiful woman, born for happi- 
ness, on the eve of seizing it, commenced now al- 
most to regret the combats fought, the delusions ex- 
perienced; it because she knew this past, and 


220 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


in separating herself from it almost loved it. What 
was this future reserving for her, which she desired 
while apprehending? 

The day before the memorable one in which 
Madame de Mineleko was to become the king’s wife, 
he came at the customary hour. 

“To-morrow! — it is to-morrow!” he said, while 
pressing Najeska Ivanowna passionately against his 
heart. “Yes, it is to-morrow, my well-beloved, that 
thou shalt be mine, thou wilt become my wife for- 
ever !” 

In presence of so much effusion, of so much ten- 
derness, Madame de Mineleko remained, however, 
agitated and disquieted. 

“ What will the Empress of Hindostan say, sire, 
when she will know — what will she do then?” 

“When she will know, it will be too late. What 
she will do I do not even ask myself, for what is 
there to be done against the indissoluble ties which 
are going to bind us to each other?” 

The brow of Najeska Ivanowna had been hitherto 
quite meditative ; it cleared a little. “ The king is 
right,” thought she, endeavoring thus to reassure 
herself, to repulse the idea of misfortune which, in 
spite of her, was besetting her. In fact, what could 
the old sovereign do when the marriage was once 
accomplished? 

Poor Najeska Ivanowna! if she had been able to 
know what a feeble reed this king was, upon whom 
she believed herself henceforth able to lean. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


221 


CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE TWO OLD MAIDS. 

The day, so much desired by the young Princess 
Agusta, arrived at last. 

The sun, desiring to bring his offering also to the 
solemnity of this fete, had risen bright and radiant, 
and was copiously shedding his gold and purple 
rays upon the Thessalian capital. The sky was blue 
and clear ; a small black speck, very distant still, 
alone was staining the horizon. The whole city was 
in commotion, for in this poor little court, starched 
with etiquette, the marriage of the king’s eldest 
daughter, rendered more ostentatious still by the 
presence of the Empress of Hindostan and that of 
her august daughter, the Princess Corysande, was 
an event worthy of the annals of history. All the 
ladies of honor, the aides-de-camp, the masters and 
mistresses of the palace, were on foot. The royal 
ceremony was to take place at five o’clock in the 
evening, and all was to transpire with the greatest 
ostentation, like at the great Court of Babylon of 
which this little court was in every respect the ab- 
solute reflection. An imposing procession would be 
formed, and in order to present a spectacle to the 
guests, they would march like a long ribbon which 
unrolls itself and take a festive promenade through 
all the halls of the palace. 

Deprived of their mother at an early age, the 
royal and charming princesses had received from 
their grandmother, the Empress of Hindostan, all 
the devotion and love of which death had bereaved 


222 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


them. This austere woman had for her grandchil- 
dren an astonishing tenderness and gentleness. 

When the late queen, her daughter, had been 
taken away from her, she had sworn to herself to 
pour upon those heads all the maternal tenderness 
that her heart contained ; this oath she had fully 
kept ; she loved her children, after the manner of 
savages without restriction, and without measure. 

The king’s marriage with Madame de Mineleko 
was to precede by a few hours only that of the eld- 
est princess. Kept very secret, the ceremony was 
to be celebrated in the chapel of the chateau ; the 
witnesses, among the number of which was Mon- 
sieur de Brandt, entirely devoted to his master, and 
two or three invited guests, had alone been initiated 
in the great mystery. 

Despite the sun which was smiling, despite the 
bustle, the gayety which was agitating the resi- 
dence, the morning of this great day had flown for 
Najeska Ivanowna, slowly and dully. Negligently 
reclining upon a couch, enervated by the excessive 
heat which was descending like a breath of Are from 
heaven, the young woman was indulging in a pro- 
found reverie ; her whole being seemed as if ren- 
dered immovable by an interesting spectacle. Her 
large, lovely eyes alone were vaguely wandering 
from flags to garlands, from these to the tinsel 
which decorated or rather marred the city, in giving 
it the appearance of a gingerbread fan. What could 
be the subject of her thoughts? Who would have 
been able to divine them from the impassibility of 
her features, ordinarily so mobile, so expressive? An 
unexpected visit suddenly withdrew her from her 
thoughts. Although it was not her hour for receiv- 
ing, the grandmistress of the palace requested to 


HEU ROYAL LOVER, 


223 


speak to her. Dear me ! what was the matter ! Like 
the poor bird upon the branch, the nervous Najeska 
Ivanowna trembles unceasingly lest an indiscre- 
tion may come to reveal and hinder this marriage so 
desired, but yet so apprehended ! Reassure yourself, 
dear timid creature! Madame la Comtesse will 
happily be the last to know of the event ; a living 
gazelle, notwithstanding the immortality which she 
imposed on her daughters and the other ladies of 
honor, her sharp tongue would have quickly propa- 
gated it. She knows nothing, and, like everybody, 
will only know the truth when it will be an accom- 
plished fact. 

The Countess Langweilig came about a petty 
question of ceremonial. We say petty, but that is 
not exact, for it could not be futile for her, whose 
contracted brain was only filled with ideas of prece- 
dence and etiquette. She understood better than 
any one to admirably instruct all the newly arri\^ed 
ladies of honor, to extinguish their minds and to 
make veritable manikins of them, moving only at 
prescribed days and hours. Nothing was to be done 
spontaneously before their majesties and the court, 
according to her; nothing equaled her science of 
muzzling or fettering all instincts which might 
arise. 

The two old maid daughters of Madame de Lang- 
weilig, fiowers very much faded and run to seed, 
and in whom she had stified all personality, were 
the most perfect specimens of her instructions. Al- 
though the dots of Mademoiselles de Langweilig 
were very small, their mother did not despair of 
marrying them, she was constantly going about the 
world, seeking sons-in-law whom she could mold 
and educate. It might be at this fete, perhaps, where 


224 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


she would meet the pearl sought hitherto in vain, 
and so ardently desired. It was a little on this ac- 
count that she had come to Madame de Mineleko ; it 
was* the question of learning if, in tne arrangement 
of the royal procession, she could not let her daugh- 
ter Mina, march with Boris Volkarski, a very rich 
and distant connection of Madame de Mineleko, ac- 
cidentally arrived a few days since in Thessaly. 

“Ah! dear me! I am smothering!” said Madame 
de Langweilig, untying the strings of her bonnet, 
then she merrily fanned herself with a large fan 
which she always carried suspended at her side. 
“You will see, my dear princess, that there will be 
a storm, and a terrible storm, which will break this 
evening, just at the moment when the grand pro- 
cession files off!” 

“Yes, she is right,” poor N’ajeska Ivanowna was 
saying to herself with a strange terror, “there will 
be a storm — a storm of elements — a storm of pas- 
sions which will clash furiously against each other. 

When Madame de Langweilig, having arranged 
to her satisfaction the incident of Boris Volkarski, 
had retired, it was high time that the princess 
thought of dressing for the private ceremony of the 
marriage which was to unite her to the king. Na,- 
jeska [vanowna was strengthless; twice she came 
near being ill during the time that her maid was 
dressing her. Never had such an intense emotion 
possessed her. The immense glass wardrobe before 
which she was seated was reflecting her image en- 
tirely white, in her spring-like robe of mauve crape. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


225 


CHAPTER XXXIL 

THE PRIVAIE MARRIAGE. 

The ceremony is about to commence. The king 
and Madame de Mineleko, both of them very pale, 
and much agitated, but in a totally different man- 
ner, are standing before the altar. A Lutheran 
clergyman, enveloped in his long black sdk surplice, 
has commenced the prayers; the chants of the 
sacred rite which are all singing, all music, in a 
word all that which may penetrate without, has 
been carefully excluded; they conceal, they sup- 
press. Since morning, all is ready for the fete of the 
evening. The high lancet windows, draped with 
ornamentations more luxurious than tasty, allow 
the daylight to penetrate with great difficulty which, 
thus filtered, diffuses in the chapel a somber and 
lugubrious aspect which is exceedingly impressive. 
Where then is that joy, that delight which gen- 
erally accompanies all marriages arranged by love? 
The heat becomes more and more excessive, how- 
ever, the atmosphere burns ; they inhale fire. Sud- 
denly, as the minister of the Lord is about to unite 
forever this husband and wife, a chain of lightning 
starts from the east and comes in long zigzags to 
rent the clouds and traverses through, if we may 
so express it, the large window above the altar. 

Najeska Ivanowna, very much impressed by the 
storm which is unchained with so much fury, and 
affected also by a nervous trembling stronger than 
her will, violently withdraws her hand from that of 
the king. Presently, however, a wan, sad smile, 


226 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


wandering over her lips, she surrenders it to him 
again, and forever. But hardly had the broad palm 
of the king imprisoned again this slender, delicate 
hand, trembling like the fragile petals of a rose 
ready to fall, than a second flash of lightning, this 
time redder and more terrible, glittered anew and 
like the powerful rays of an electric light illumines 
with its pale light the whole church ; then, for a sec- 
ond it delineates long and inflamed the silhouettes 
of this group, who at the feet of the master of life 
and of death are trembling like criminals caught in 
a snare; it was sinister. Then obscurity reigns 
again, and annihilates this frightful vision. Then, 
predominating that of the angry elements, the grave 
and solemn voice of the clergyman is heard, and 
from his lips falls, one by one, the sacramental 
words: “Those whom God hath joined together let 
no man put asunder.” 

Hardly were these imposing words pronounced, 
before a clap of thunder, long and terrible, like the 
clamor of a thousand cannons in battle, seemed to 
shake the sacred ediflce from its summit to its base ; 
a profound obscurity was reigning still. As in all 
Protestant churches there were no candles to give 
their soft light to enliven the ceremony ; the few 
witnesses affected by the tempest which was raging 
without, remained immovable in their places, really 
believing that their last hour had come. The minis- 
ter himself, despite his apparent calm, had been 
obliged to interrupt the course of the ritual. Madame 
de Mineleko, as if to support herself, pressed con- 
vulsively the hand of her royal husband, from whom 
she seemed to demand assistance and support. 

Poor little creature! alas! what would she have 
felt if she had been able to foresee that the protec- 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


227 


tion of this man upon whom she counted so much, 
was not to extend beyond this short and terrible 
moment passed before the altar of God! What 
would have become of her, the unfortunate one, if 
suddenly enlighteend with a divine knowledge she 
had divined that the king, incapable of defending 
her, would not be ashamed to forsake her, the well- 
beloved of his choice, falling completely broken 
before the fury of an old raving woman ; yes, to 
this crabbed and despotic empress, he would cow- 
ardly sacrifice her, without expressing even a com- 
plaint or a murmur. 

While hTajeska Ivanowna was tremblingly en- 
deavoring to cower behind her new husband, an other 
ray of fire traversed yet again the darkness. A 
nearer rumbling was heard ; then, like a dike which 
breaks, they heard the splashing of great drops of 
rain which were violently beating the windows of 
the chapel. The storm was still increasing. 

Now that they can see just clearly enough .to 
enable them to distinguish the personages of this 
sad scene through the intense darkness, the minis- 
ter solemnly resumes the interrupted ceremony. It 
terminated in the midst of an icy cold which, like a 
cold sirroco, had driven afar the sultry and oppres- 
sive heat under which the city had sweltered since 
morning. Najeska Ivanowna’s teeth were chatter- 
ing fit to break; this first round of the ladder of 
her happiness, was so long, so lugubrious! 

When the last words of the religious ritual were 
pronounced, they were to separate with much pre- 
caution. The bride was to return to her home im- 
mediately, where the king was to rejoin her before 
an hour. The chapel formed a building by itself of 
the royal chateau ; but in an interior court there 


228 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


was a little lateral door which, through the halls of 
the ground floor, gave egress to the residence 
square. 

Najefka Ivanowna, accompanied by Monsieur de 
Brandt, traversed the covered court-yard and the 
still deserted halls of the ground floor. When Mon- 
sieur de Brandt opened the little door before which 
a carriage was waiting for the young woman, such 
a gust of wind and rain lashed the face of the 
trembling Najeska Ivanowna that she was cut as if 
by the blow of a whip. 

The storm v; as now at its height ; lightning with- 
out interruption succeeded to lightning, the thunder 
precipitated its long and near peals which, like 
another storm, reverberated echo upon echo, the 
mountains, whose wooded semicircles inclosed the 
little capital, had become impotent to protect it 
against the tempest which, from minute to minute, 
was augmenting, increasing. The wind from the 
north was blowing furiously, the tall straight trees 
of the residence city bent to the earth under the 
force of the squalls; nothing could resist it. On all 
sides there was nothing but a sinister cracking 
similar to that of a ship which, dragging its 
anchors, is about to break upon an inhospitable 
coast; the loud roaring voice of the wind was howl- 
ing in a deafening manner. Fragments of roofs i 
and chimneys were flving in every direction carried I 
like light feathers. Woe to him who had dared to l 
face this frightful tempest; for if the houses offered | 
but a verv slight security, the streets threatened to I 
become the tomb of those who traversed them. 

Where now were those flelds so flourishing but a | 
moment ago? ' 

What had become of this harvest so fertile, the ■ 


EER ROYAL LOVER. 


229 


fruit of a painful labor? Alas! in less than a day, in 
less than an hour, all this labor of an entire year 
was annihilated. 

The city presented a truly heart-rending spectacle ; 
everywhere there was nothing but debris. The 
decorations so joyously erected for the marriage 
festivities of the Princess Agusta, were now hang- 
ing mournfully ; it was no longer joy that they an- 
nounced, but a grief universal, and difficult to repair. 

“Oh! I cannot, I dare not go out in such a storm!” 
These words escaped from the pale lips of the king’s 
morganatic wife. 

Monsieur de Brandt found himself in a very per- 
plexing situation. He really could not expose this 
fragile and nervous woman to depart in such a tem- 
pest. On the other hand, she was in the royal pal- 
ace, and if any one found her there at an hour when 
she would only appear there by an express com- 
mand. it would give much food for conjecture. 

“My God! what am I to do? he asked himself, 
embarrassed. 

In short, since she was now the wife of his sover- 
eign and since she would not and could not depart, 
it was necessary for him to consider. 

Recollecting very seasonably that there was a 
little apartment which opened upon the corridor of 
the ground floor, he offered his arm to Madame de 
Mineleko and quickly conducted her to this apart- 
ment. 

“Bolt the door, madam,” said he, “no one must see 
you, at any price, in the palace at this moment. I 
will go and notify my sovereign master, the king, 
of the place wherein I have had to conceal you, and 
I will watch that no one may come to disturb you.” 

As soon as Najeska Ivanowna was shut up in the 


230 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


chamber, Monsieur de Brandt went to seek an offi- 
cer of the guard, and addressing some words to him 
in a low tone, he hastily departed to find his majesty. 

By one of those ironies which continually cross 
each other in life, the apartment in which Monsieur 
de Brandt had introduced Najeska Ivanowna was 
precisely one of these little boudoirs that the poor 
late queen had had arranged for her convenience. 
During the last years of her life the queen had be- 
come so feeble that it was impossible for her on re- 
turning from her rides, to immediately gain her 
apartments ; it had been necessary for her before 
undertaking this long journey to enjoy a certain re- 
pose. It was here, then, that she had retired. All 
here breathed of luxury. Upon an immense couch, 
a magnificent white bear’s skin of the greatest value 
was negligently thrown. Although the Court of 
Thessaly was not rich. Queen Aline, reared too early 
to a love of self, had known how to surround herself 
with a thousand trifies that her refined and artistic 
taste grouped in a truly harmonious whole. 

Uajeska Ivanowna examined each object with 
profound attention ; suddenly, a noise imperceptible 
to any but herself is heard; it draws insensibly 
nearer. This noise, that of precipitate muffied steps, 
makes her heart beat ; she waits. A gentle rap and 
a beloved voice, that of her king, of her master, of 
her present husband, softly murmurs : 

“ It is I ! — open. ” 

She turns the key; at first she only perceives 
Monsieur de Brandt who, like a vigilant sentinel, 
walks to and fro before the door of the large saloon 
opposite ; but, under the heavy plush portiere a man 
glides ; it is he, it is the king, all trembling with 
love, The door is discreetly closed. At last they 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


231 


are alone this husband and wife, married only 
half an hour ago. How many subjects to discuss! 

Upon her entrance in the boudoir, Najeska Ivan- 
owna had hastily removed her hat. 

It was a light capote of mauve crape, all ruches 
of lace, and upon the left side of it in a tuft of lilac 
plumes, a little roguish bird seemed to flutter. The 
princess’ blonde hair was slightly disheveled, for 
she had not then thought to smooth her ruffled 
tresses. 

The king, eager to make the acquaintance of a 
treasure that he had waited for so long a time, 
took her violently in his arms, and pressed her pas- 
sionately to his heart. The warmth of the woman’s 
body languishingly abandoning itself excited him ; 
his arteries beat to breaking. All his desires, re- 
strained by the heroic chastity of the young woman, 
awoke more ardent than ever. Najeska Ivanowna, 
resting upon this broad breast, felt the brutal shock 
with which each pressure bruised her Arm white 
bosom. At each of the kisses which the passionate 
king deposited upon the wanton locks of hair on 
her neck, a voluptuous thrill ran through all her 
being and came to expire in her lightest ringlets. 

“Oh! Najeska Ivanowna! lovest thou me? Say — 
say that thou lovest me as I love thee!” 

“Thou lovest me much, then?” murmured she. 

“ So much, that I would have gone to seek thee 
even in the lion’s mouth! I need thee, I thirst for 
thee! It is thou that I desire ; that I desire forever!” 

He did not speak; he stammered; intoxicated by 
the allurement of this pliant and beautiful body, he 
uttered, one after the other, words delirious with 
love. 

“ My passion and my love will fathom the most se- 


232 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


cret recesses of thy heart and of thy senses, my 
cherished wife!” 

Love overflowed in him. His heart throbbed with 
enchanting thoughts ; he whispered low, very low,‘ 
and entreated his dear trembling one, to be very 
humble. She, intoxicated in turn by the sorcery 
which enveloped her, surrendered herself to her 
husband’s caresses. 

Without, the tempest still continued, and Monsieur 
de Brandt was growing uneasy and impatient. To 
grow impatient is something that courtiers do not 
generally permit themselves ; but Monsieur de 
Brandt was very devoted, very much attached to 
his master ; he trembled at the idea of the scandal 
which would result from it if the king was found 
with this ^yell-beloved woman. The time was pass- 
ing rapidly, at five o’clock the grand marriage cere- 
mony was to commence. The Empress of Hindostan 
was such a personage that they dared not risk keep- 
ing her waiting. For this narrow mind the slight- 
est derogation from her prerogatives, the least in- 
fraction of the rules of etiquette, had been an offense 
which she would not have pardoned. Eetired, in 
the apartments of the young Thessalian princesses, 
she was spending with the Princess Agusta the last 
hours of liberty which still remained to the young 
fiancee ; a jealous mother to the last, she wished to 
have to herself alone this child who, however, was 
going to be nearer to her grandmother. Prince 
George of Pattenpouff having taken service in the 
navy of a country submissive to the powerful em- 
press, and each hour of the young sailor’s absence 
would be for her a complete and entire possession of 
the treasure which she was to take back with her. 
The old autocratic woman had weighed her reasons 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


233 


well, time, a rare thing, egotism and love being in 
perfect accord, the marriage was decided on. 

Nearly two hours had expired before the king 
could consent to withdraw from his wife’s arms. 
Monsieur de Brandt was becoming angry. Since 
noon, the hour wherein the celebration of his secret 
marriage had taken place, the king had not ap- 
peared at court ; this prolonged absence might be 
remarked by the mother-in-law. What plausible 
reasons could he give to explain it? And now three 
o’clock was striking! Charles Ferdinand, making 
a superhuman effort, came at last out of the boudoir 
of the late queen. Poor woman! she who had loved 
him so much and on whom he had lavished so many 
oaths of fidelity and of love! Her specter should 
have leaped in her tomb; the ingrate, upon the 
trembling breast of the new wife, had completely 
forgotten the cherished dead. 


234 


HER ROYAL LOVER 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE ROYAL PROCESSION. 

At last! it is a quarter to five! 

The whole court is already assembled in the grand 
saloon, in which the royal procession is going to be 
formed. Each guest has considered himself in 
honor bound to respond to the invitation of the 
king ; everybody is present in full dress. The royal 
family of Thessaly and the Empress of Hindostan 
with the Princess Corysande alone are wanting. 

The grandmistress, active as a horse-fiy, goes and 
comes with much ado, much embarrassment; she 
hastily flings a word here, makes a new suggestion 
there, reprimands the ladies of honor who, with 
their heads adorned with feathers like perambulat- 
ing canopies, rudely and ungraciously endeavor to 
crush each other. There was nothing so ludicrous 
as the rivalry of these gowns, whose long and flimsy 
trains proclaimed like their proprietors a rude and 
laborious service. To what lengths will not vanity 
go! more simplicity had been better taste, better 
policy, for it would have better dissimulated the 
penury which reigned like a mistress at the Thes- 
salian court. 

The chief chamberlain, Count Leerkoff, gives a 
last glance at the organization of this memorable 
fete. The aides-de-camp in full uniform, their breast 
decorated with orders, are standing behind the 
ladies of honor. Gods! great gods! what gold! 
what decorations! what tinsel! It is marvelous, 
dazzling, ruinous, frightful! But is it posuble that 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


235 


one man alone, in a single life-time, may have ever 
been able to merit so much! Who was this sover- 
eign or Russian grand duke who once said, on re- 
garding some breast thus decorated : “ How many 
badly placed stars!” He would have been able to 
repeat this remark, so just, regarding this day, all 
those breasts, which disappeared entirely behind the 
nauseously prodigious number of stars, of crosses, 
of medals, of palms, of ribbons, etc., etc., which 
were glittering upon them. 

The homely meager daughters of the grandmis- 
tress in nowise renewed the golden youth which 
they still had the pretension to possess. It certainly 
was to be much doubted that this fete was to become 
a day of triumph for them, but nevertheless what ex- 
pense, what efforts! With a stiffness which they 
mistook for grace, they wore, pitifully enough, white 
tarletan robes over petticoats of onion-colored 
taffeta ; the length of their trains extended so far, 
that they were obliged to keep their adorers at a 
very great distance. Their poor, shriveled, faded 
faces, were smothered under the immense weight of 
enormous crowns of apple-blossoms — oh! for once 
they had been lavish! Made by their own economi- 
cal hands, they had not hesitated to fling away here 
a profusion of leaves and flowers ; fruits alone were 
wanting ; they had not dared. The day, so favor- 
able to the beautiful, seemed incensed against these 
homely unfortunate creatures, penetrating in floods 
in the vast reception-room; it was pleasing itself 
like a malicious child, by revealing to indiscreet re- 
gards the wrinkles and the crow’s-feet that the poor 
old maids had in vain endeavored to remove, in order 
to repair the irreparable ravages of time. 

Madame de Mineleko, as ex-ambassadress, was 


236 


EER ROYAL LOVER. 


forming a part of this cortege which she alone had 
rendered resplendent. 

The sunshine had succeeded to the storm. Still 
brilliant at this hour, on this June afternoon, it was 
penetrating by one of the large windows and was 
restimr like a halo upon this brow radiant with hap- 
piness suppressed and shared. 

Najeska Ivanowna, like a young bride, (was she 
not one, indeed?), wore an entirely white court dress. 
Her bronzed hair set off with its effulgent rays the 
ornaments which adorned this heavy golden fleece. 
Her shoulders, attached to her body, her arms still 
so youthful, so slender, but so deliciously plump 
that everywhere little dimples were to be seen in 
them, all in her was captivating. In the delicate 
marble of her bosoms, two slightly projecting 
globes, all rosy with emotion, the blood appeared 
to tremble with desire. The tempting beauty of her 
body, the subtile charm which emanated from her, 
was an intoxicating flame ; in a word, the whole ap- 
pearance of the Princess of Mineleko was replete 
with the bewitching impression of woman. Not- 
withstanding all these petticoats of tulle entwined 
with lilies and the heavy damask of her train she 
struck the senses as indelibly as a stamp marks its 
effigy, and aroused and awakened temptation in 
man. 

She did not remove her eyes from the door by 
which her husband and her king was soon to ap- 
pear. She was endeavoring to restrain the light of 
an intense happiness too ready to beam from her 
voluptuous languishing eyes, but, the lightning of 
that rapture of the heart was breaking forth, how- 
ever, in spite of her, at each moment, She was ra- 
diant with it, 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


237 


Suddenly, the large folding-doors in the middle 
open, and a Swiss strikes the sonorous pavement 
three times ; and in a stentorian voice announces: 

“The king!” 

Charles Ferdinand XVIII appears. With his left 
hand he guides the steps of the august fiancee who, 
too majestic and not affected enough, disappeared 
under a long and vaporous white vail ; her gown is 
of cloth of silver, the heaviness and the length of 
the train is such that two pages who strive to recal . 
their predecessors of the seventeenth and eight- 
eenth centuries, are obliged to support it; they 
seemed crushed by it; the crown of orange-blos- 
soms, the inseparable accompaniment of this day, 
often very wrongly termed a clay of happiness, 
sparkles all studded with diamonds which, in all 
this immaculate whiteness glitter from all their lu- 
minous facets. Behind, comes the fiance and his 
parents. 

Several minutes elapse; the Swiss’ halberd is 
heard a second time, and a respectful silence is es- 
tablished. Then, solemnly in her morning garb, ad- 
vances slowly, gravely, as all the dignity of so high 
a personage requires, the aup-ust, the illustrious Em- 
press of Hindustan. Even on this day all festivity 
and joy, she had not wished to forsake this livery of 
grief with which her soul is filled since the death of 
her imperial husband ; in this black toilet the vail 
and crown alone are white ; it is almost a lugubri- 
ous contrast, which very fortunately comes to en- 
liven a diadem of an unheard of splendor and rich- 
ness. 

Near the empress, on her right, was the stout and 
heavy Princess Corysande, whose features are the 
exact counterpart of her mother, with the exception 


238 


HEU ROYAL LOVER, 


of the complexion, which is still not as blotched as 
that of the old empress. 

On the other side of the empress is the Princess 
Aline of Thessaly, dressed as modestly as genteelly; 
the sight of her gladdens the heart, her presence is 
a pleasure. How much grace! how much gentle- 
ness upon this smooth white brow! She advances, 
simply and sadly as if already in her life scarcely 
begun, some serious and profound griefs had incum- 
bered its course ; a fresh and fragrant bud, scarcely 
opened, she droops meditatively on her long flexible 
stem. Of what is this young heart thinking? What 
awaits, then, in her life to come, this delicious 
flower? 

At last, in the rear, the other royal personages ar- 
rive, the Prince and Princess of Babylon, the Prince 
and Princess of Delhi, then some petty kings and 
princelings of no consequence; then, the youngest 
of the Princesses of Thessaly, and the hereditary 
prince. 

The cortege sets out, the master of ceremonies, at 
the head, opens the march, and they silently and 
religiously proceed to the chapel of the chateau. 

What different impressions those ceremonies 
gave, consummated on the same day and in the 
same place! That of the morning, gloomy, almost 
lugubrious, performed in secret, some assistants 
merely as witnesses, executed to the rumbling of 
thunder, the flashes of lightning, in this chapel 
empty all except this little group of eight persons, 
trembling like malefactors before the altar; while 
that of this evening proclaimed gayety and bril- 
liancy, resounded with a perfect harmony of joy 
and love. 

At this hour all is bustle, animation, going and 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


239 


coming. The frou frou of trains is heard essaying 
to make room in the narrow space which is indi- 
cated to them, the clicking of the gold lace of the 
uniforms and that of the sabers is joined in a music 
which lacks neither harmony nor originality. They 
arrange and disarrange chairs ; at first, it is almost 
a confused noise, then order is gradually restored. 
Then all becomes radiant in this little sanctuary ; 
in the light of the chandeliers, the fiowers of prec- 
ious stones, the diamonds of the princesses massed 
around the bride, before the altar, are glittering 
with a thousand fires. 

The organ, this sublime instrument which, like 
the violin expresses all the moods of the soul, unites 
its deep and joyous voice to that of the loud fiourish 
of trumpets and throws under the vault of the an- 
tique chapel the chords of a triumphant nuptial 
march. 

Its sweet hymn gradually ascends in the silence 
at last re-established, its affecting modulations fill 
the vault of the chapel, the chords rise, swell, and 
the vibrations, more and more powerful, soon be- 
come formidable. The chant breaks forth in its 
turn ; the souls, ravished by this sacred music, de- 
tach themselves from earth, to ascend toward God. 

Suddenly the sounds die away, calm is restored, 
the Lutheran minister advances toward the young 
betrothed and the ceremony commences. The emo- 
tion of the Empress of Hindostan is at its height, 
she thinks of that sweet princess, her daughter, the 
most dearly loved of all, that a rapid and relentless 
disease has snatched too young still, from a hus- 
band’s love, from the regrets of an entire family. 
The bride, forgets for a moment, also, the happiness 
which embraces her ; she thinks of that place 


\ 


240 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


which her mother should have occupied and which 
remains empty, very empty, although the grand- 
mother has taken a long journey to occupy it and 
replace the absent mother. 

But she whose emotions has no longer limits, is 
the Princess Aline. She bows her head, which is 
supported by a neck as white as that of a swan, and 
tears fall behind the fan that her trembling hands 
hold in order to conceal her face. 

The ceremony advances. The minister has ter- 
minated, and the organ pours out anew its bountiful 
and sonorous sounds, while the bride, making a 
profound courtesy to the Empress of Hindostan, 
kneels before her and reverently inclines her head 
to receive the maternal kiss and benediction. 

At this moment not an eye is dry in the church, 
for while the grandmother tenderly embraces her 
granddaughter, all hearts, even the most indiffer- 
ent, are filled with the painful remembrance of the 
last great ceremony which has preceded this in this 
chapel ; the interment of the young dead queen. 

The procession is formed anew for the return and 
re-entrance to the royal apartments. The great 
festive banquet will soon begin. But the empress 
will not assist at it ; she will retire in her apart- 
ments in order to dine with those of the Princesses 
of Thessaly who are still too young to assist at an 
official banquet, and also with the young Princesses 
of Delhi. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


241 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE empress’ rage. 

The grand banquet is at its height. On all sides 
the corks of champagne bottles are popping, whose 
sharp crackling noise closely resembles sky-rockets ; 
heads grow excited, tongues unloose themselves. It 
is the solemn moment of toasts ; they are upon all 
subjects and persons: the most brilliant, and the 
best delivered, are the least sincere. Each party is 
represented in his turn. 

Meanwhile, in the palace, the crush of guests be- 
comes immense ; since six o’clock, the carriages 
arriving one after the other, form in line before the 
royal chateau and discharge their people in the 
grand gala portico. 

All the king’s servants are in state livery. Some 
halberdiers, grenadiers, cuirassiers of the guard, 
and some body guards, stand erect and immovable 
with drawn swords at each side of the large doors. 
The whole palace is open for the festivity. 

At the side of the royal banquet-table destined 
only for the official and intimate guests, large buf- 
fets have been prepared where, standing, the per- 
sons of secondary rank come to regale themselves 
with delicacies. 

The glassware, iridescent with brilliant colors, 
sparkles like precious stones of a thousand facets 
under the blazing lights. Huge covered pieces arise, 
in the midst of flowers, upon massive silver platers ; 
it is a display of incredible richness, for the silver- 
ware at the Court of Thessaly, royal presents or 


242 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


^ifts of different cities and provinces, was one of 
the only really rich and beautiful things that this 
little kingdom possessed. 

Succulent fruits arise -in pyramids upon fresh 
green now. 

Around the royal table, the princesses, glittering 
with gems, enveloped in clouds of lace, are in court 
toilets ; the princes in full dress. The red uniforms 
of the king’s officers predominate with their strik- 
ing colors. It is a festival of men of all parties, of 
all nations, in a word, all the military and diplo- 
matic Thessaly. But let us make a little tour in the 
salon. See, here, at the side of the Princess of Pat- 
tenpouff, mother of the husband of the eldest Prin- 
cess of Thessaly, is seated one of those petty kings 
who, in these latter days, commence to arise in the 
East and who, let us hope, may disappear without 
too many barricades and bloodshed. 

The king, although a young and elegant bachelor, 
had already grown corpulent through the produc- 
tions of a good chef, brought, at a great expense, 
from Paris, which for this majesty, was a terrestrial 
paradise offering all the allurement of forbidden 
fruit. At each opportunity he left his own country 
and came to seek, incognito, a compensation for the 
deadly fatigue which he experienced in his own 
capital, a hole with tortuous and badly-paved streets, 
and wherein the houris with almond-shaped eyes 
offered to his hlase senses less charms than our 
flaunting Parisians. 

A little farther on, at one of the buffets, old Prince 
Stanislas of Giassan was to be seen, with his mor- 
ganatic wife, gorged with food, and whose immense 
gown could hardly contain her powerful frame. 

This imposing person, whose value had been great 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


243 


if appraised by weight, believed herself an excep- 
tionable wit. Forgetting that among the blind the 
one-eyed are kings, she was very proud of the opinion 
that the unsophisticated inhabitants of a little pro- 
vincial town possessed of her, where, in her narrow 
circle she was held like a sovereign. This viper of 
colossal dimensions was the terror of all her sur- 
roundings; before her each one yielded, so great 
was the terror inspired by the venom distilled by 
her infectious slaver. Poor Stanislas, knowing that 
any wrestling was impossible with this shrew of 
base origin, submitted to his yoke with a resigna- 
tion worthy of a better cause. 

A little old man was conversing with her. It was 
the minister of foreign affairs. With impaired ex- 
terior, having neither teeth nor hair, but still pre- 
serving intact within him that subtle brain wdiich 
understood so well how to embroil politics, and make 
his government fish in troubled waters ending the 
difficulties which he had excited elsewhere. He 
changed his opinion like his shirt. Generally lean- 
ing toward the right, nevertheless, he had permitted 
himself during a momentary weakness to become 
innoculated with republican vaccine. “A Conserva- 
tive bitten by a Radical, what?” as a witty writer 
has said. 

Farther on, young Sergius of Pattenpouff was to 
be seen, having drank at a great draught the little 
disencumbered money that his parents were able to 
give him, up to his neck in debt, and afflicted in the 
bargain with chronic bronchitis. Notwithstanding 
that, his hope of the future was firm, for it was 
based upon an intrigue, in an embryo state as yet 
in his mother’s brain, an intrigue tending to put 
one day in his clumsy lieutenant’s claw of the hus- 


244 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


sars the plump red hand, filled with gold of the 
Princess Corysande, the last daughter of the Em- 
press of Hindustan. He and his mother, expecting 
from the lassitude and discouragement, which this 
princess was experiencing on seeing her efforts con- 
stantly baffled to ensnare on the wing any royal 
prince whatever, hoped to arrive to making her de- 
scend at last the necessary rounds of the ladder to 
put her on a level with the Pattenpouffs. 

Here, the witty Schmke, interested in several 
financial companies whose snares — pardon — whose 
headquarters were in reality the office of his jour- 
nal, although, he had taken care very ostensibly, to 
announce it as being in one of the most sumptuous 
hotels lately erected in the city. It is he who, not 
sparing sonorous words and inordinate promises, 
launched bombastic articles about the new loans 
where the simpletons and the slender purses lost 
their savings so painfully acquired. 

Many words, much ink, much paper, (those three 
things of the best quality), and that is all. No more 
gold or lead mines, no more canals or railroads, 
than in the hollow of the hand. He was walking, 
tripping along briskly, and smartly, all fluttering, 
at being for once — and once only — admitted in the 
salon of the court. He had on his arm the Count- 
ess de Horsteman, called the “phylloroxera of the 
buffets,” and this nickname was well-applied, for 
even as this horrible disease destroys our vines, in 
like manner, when the countess approached a 
buffet, it was found ravaged as if a pernicious wind 
had breathed upon it. Surreptitiously, with a dex- 
terity which approached the marvelous, she carried 
away in her light fingers, much like the long nip- 
pers of crabs, all the portable provisions ; she made 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


245 


them disappear in a deep pocket made expressly for 
this purpose. 

There also was the excellent chamberlain, Pul- 
nitz, a good fellow if there ever was one, that they 
hastened to injure as soon as they had made use of 
him, and who nevertheless remained content with 
himself and everybody. 

Every one was going, coming, talking, laughing, 
exhilarated by the gayety of a sumptuous repast 
and the profusion of the offered refreshments. 

The crown-head who came from the East, very 
much excited by the champagne and the old Bur- 
gundy, emulated the lowset officer in gallantry. At 
this moment he was jesting smartly enough with a 
lively Parisian, very sprightly, ma foi / and who 
from time to time jumped with both feet upon the 
marriage contract, going from right to left like a 
squirrel, according to her caprices. Her husband, 
according as his wife stood at court (ought we not 
to say in the court-yard?) was at one time or 
another either minister or ambassador ; these digni- 
taries sufficed his ambition and his happiness. 

Then, our old friend, the ambassadress of one of 
the great kingdoms of the South, Madame de Al- 
hambra. Let us not forget this one! she is visible 
from afar ; her gown, of a very brilliant red, glares 
in a fashion but little in harmony with the subdued 
and quiet colors of her neighbors; they maliciously 
accused her in society of preferring gaudy colors, ; 
because she was deaf. J 

In an embrasure of a window, Baron Eochnitz, the' 
famous financier, was standing. He had built for' 
himself a magnificent chateau whose roof was en- 
tirely of gold (?) But, the veritable covering of this 
..moderii .feudal -monument, tM malicious^. tqngues, 


246 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


were saying, since the last panic at the Bourse was 
only mortgages. 

Farther on, Count Quertz, a partisan very much 
opposed to the present ministry, was jesting with 
Monsieur de Brandt and his colleagues. The Prince 

of H , who went no longer to court since he had 

been deposed by the Emperor of Babj lon, had come 
this evening on account of Prince Pattenpouff’s 
father, who had been one of his most intimate 
friends, and who, through his son, was going to be- 
come a branch of the royal house. 

No less gay than the formal festivities, was the 
dinner presided over by the Empress of Hindustan. 
The old queen and her grandchildren had conversed 
much, had laughed much ; each one also feeling a 
heavy weariness, which courted a beneficent sleep. 
The repast, moreover, was near its close. The 
e:randmother, embracing her dear princesses, was 
about to retire to her private apartments, when the 
chamberlain of the hereditary Prince of Babylon 
was announced. “ What does he want of me at this 
hour. Black?” said the empress to her confidential 
Scotchman, who had just come to impart to her this 
unexpected visit. 

“I do not know, your majesty, but he says that it 
is urgent ; he comes on the part of the prince im- 
perial, who has strongly recommended him to see 
your majesty immediately.” 

‘^Let him enter, then.” 

Count de Schade appeared, and bowed profoundly 
before the sovereign. 

“What urgent business can bring you at this hour, 
Monsieur de Schade?” demanded the empress. 

“Your majesty, his imperial highness, the hered- 

itary prince, not being able to leave the banquet, has 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


247 


ordered me to come to your majesty in order to 
learn at what hour, this evening, his imperial high- 
ness might have the honor of speaking to your 
majesty.” 

The empress appeared surprised. 

“This evening! is it so urgent, count? I confess 
that being somewhat fatigued, I would prefer to 
postpone the business until to-morrow.” 

“Your majesty will pardon me if I dare to insist. 
The prince told me that the communication which 
he has to make to your majesty cannot be ad- 
journed.” 

“Goodness! you astonish me! I will say you even 
frighten me, count! Has something extraordinary 
happened?” 

Count de Schade was silent. 

“ His imperial highness desires to communicate it 
himself to your majesty.” 

And, bowing respectfully, the count gained the 
door of the imperial apartment backwards. 

When the empress re-entered her private apart- 
ments, where she was going to receive the prince 
imperial, she became meditative, pre-occupied. 
What could the prince imperial have to communi- 
cate to her? She was losing herself in conjectures, 
not being able in anywise to imagine what it could 
be. Could it be some new betrothals? The third 
Princess of Thessaly, the gentle Mathilde, could 
she have been demanded for the Duke of Africa, 
who a long time since had been looking for a wife? 
Or, could this young man have fixed his choice on 
the second daughter of the Prince Imperial of Baby- 
lon? 

The old grandmother's curiosity was much ex- 
cited. At this moment, in spite of her haughty pre- 


248 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


tensions to superiority, she was compelled to men- 
tally confess to herself that she was but like other 
women, made of flesh and bone and also of weak- 
ness. 

The time appeared enormously long to the empress, 
waiting over-excited her. The prince imperial was 
at last announced, his face was perturbed, agi- 
tated. On seeing him thus, he ordinarily so calm, 
so phlegmatic, the empress divined that something 
extraordinary had happened. 

“ Goodness, Fritz ! what have you to tell me? You 
appear very much disturbed.” 

“I am so, indeed, your majesty.” 

The empress trembled. 

“Has some misfortune happened? Is Agusta 
suffering?” 

Her grandmother’s heart, twice a mother for 
herself and for the absent, had no other thought 
than that her granddaughter was ill ; while thus 
speaking she arose to run to the assistance of her 
child. 

But the prince imperial restrained her by a ges- 
ture. 

“I entreat your majesty to be pleased to listen to 
me!” 

“That is what I desire; but speak, speak quickly, 
I conjure you! Do you not see upon what burning 
coals you keep me?” 

Notwithstadning this peremptory order, the prince 
imperial was silent. It seemed that the communi- 
cation which he had to make to the empress was be- 
yond his strength. 

‘‘My God! how uneasy you make me!” said her 
majesty. “But, I repeat to you, tell me quickly^ 
very quickly— that which brings you here.” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


249 


‘‘If your majesty will promise me to be calm, I 
will speak.” 

The empress grew pale. 

“ It is a misfortune, then, and a great one, that 
you have come to tell me?” 

The prince made an affirmative gesture. 

“Who is it about?” 

“The King of Thessaly.” 

“ The King of Thessaly ! but I have left him in per- 
fect health, scarcely two hours ago.” 

“ His health is as good as usual, and what is more, 
his Thessalian majesty is in a great state of beati- 
tude.” 

The empress regarded the prince attentively ; it 
seemed to her that he had become insane. That 
which he was saying was so incomprehensible that 
she was really excusable in her supposition. 

“ That the king may be happy, very happy even, 
as I am, as we all are, in the establishment of his 
eldest daughter and at the brilliant marriage which 
is being arranged for Aline, that I comprehend; 
and I do not see anything in that which obliges 
you in such a persistent manner to defer a repose of 
which I have so much need.” 

The prince, taking affectionately the empress’ 
hands, said to her: 

“There has been two marriages to-day, your maj- 
esty. That of the king has preceded that of his 
daughter by a few hours only.” 

At first the empress was certain that the prince 
was suffering from an hallucination. 

“You cannot believe me!” said the prince, aston- 
ished at the calm of the empress; “but Madame de 
H“ — has diseovef^d, tbraugh the minister’s wife, 


250 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


that Madame de Mineleko and the king were se- 
cretly married this morning.” 

The Empress of Hindustan uttered a terrible cry. 

“ Madame de Mineleko and the King of Thessaly 
were secretly married this morning?” 

What! he, the husband of her Aline, of her adored 
dead Aline— he had dared to outrage the memory of 
this gentle princess to that extent? To unite himself 
to a nobody 1 a private individual 1 but this was a 
sacrilege ! 

The empress was choking, rattling in the throat, 
she was in such a state that the prince imperial was 
completely terrified. The sovereign could no longer 
breathe; a yet more vivid redness was added to 
that which was habitual to her, and the blood, as- 
cending to her head, provoked such a paroxysm of 
coughing that the prince feared that his mother-in- 
law might succumb to an attack of apoplexy. 
Bounding toward the bell, he was about to ring it ; 
but the empress was quicker than he. 

“Stop!” said she, in a commanding tone. “I am 
calm, and I wish to act ; it is useless to interpose a 
third party in this affair. Answer my questions 
simply and rapidly. Is the fete terminated?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then everybody has retired?” 

“Yes.” 

“The King of Thessaly, also?” 

“ Yes.” 

“Alone?” 

“ I do not know. He is in his private apartments, 
and has given the most explicit command not to be 
disturbed.” 

“That order I will brave myself!” 

do mot-create a scandal, your majesty,’^ 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


251 


“ T will do anything ! anything to break this in- 
famous marriage ! this accursed union !” 

The empress’ rage was so great that it had been 
dangerous to utter a word tending to calm her or to 
excuse the king ; were it not for that the prince 
would have been able to ask what there was so in- 
famous in the morganatic marriage of a widower 
with the woman that he loved, and in what he 
lacked more in respect to the dead queen than if he 
had been united, by policy, to a royal princess. 

He was regretting his precipitation now ; for he 
realized that no one in the world could hinder the 
old empress from making a frightful scandal. 

Throwing her dignity to the winds, excited by 
fury, the empress precipitately opened the door and 
was going to rush out when the prince imperial 
seized her. A veritable struggle ensued between 
them. His physical strength at last predominating 
over that of the old enraged woman, he constrained 
her to listen to him. The only concession which he 
could obtain in the end was that the empress would 
not go herself to the King of Thessaly’s door, but 
that she would send his chamberlain, to tell him 
that he must immediately present himself to her. 


252 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


% 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

“YOU MUST EXPEL THAT WOMAN.” 

It is certainly easier to conceive than to describe 
the impression produced upon the King of Thessaly, 
being lost in perfect felicity with his beloved 
wife on this first night of the wedding, when sud- 
denly, despite the explicit orders which he had 
given, raps precipitately repeated on the door with- 
drew the two lovers from their beatitude. 

Najeska Ivanowna, shivering, terrified, cowered 
yet more closely against the heart of her august 
husband. The king, as well as she, comprehended 
immediately that such an infraction of the rules of 
etiquette could only be caused by an unusual event. 

In all haste, half-dressed, the king passed in the 
adjoining apartment, from whence, in an angry 
voice, he demanded who dared to come to thus dis- 
turb him. 

It was his poor chamberlain, much frightened by 
the terrible message which he had to deliver. 

At these words : 

“ The Empress of Hindustan insists on seeing your 
majesty this very evening,” the king felt a shiver 
run through his whole frame. 

She knew all, then! This express summons to see 
him, without delay, proved to him alone how great 
was the old sovereign’s wrath. Surely, the scene 
would be frightful! terrible! But, as sooner or later 
it would have to come to that, perhaps it was bet- 
ter to explain himself immediately. 

“Tell her majesty that I will be at her orders in 
half an hour,” said the king. 


HEU ROYAL LOVER. 


253 


The chamberlain retired, and the king ran rapidly 
to find again his dear Najeska Ivanowna. When 
he imparted the truth to her the princess shuddered. 

“ Who knows if I will ever see thee again !” said 
she, suddenly, throwing herself, sobbing, on the 
neck of her royal husband. 

“Come, child! what hast thou, then, to fear?” He 
was speaking in a reproachful tone, but tenderly, 
cajolingly, as a mother would do to her sick infant. 

“No, I will see thee no more!” said Najeska Ivan- 
owna, suddenly resuming a despairing tone. “If 
the empress summons thee at such an hour, it is to 
undo thee. We women possess the faculty of second- 
sight, we forebode misfortune! Hark ye!” and she 
touched her heart, “ it is written here — my future is 
forever destroyed !” 

She was frightfully calm, but that which she was 
suffering was plainly visible; the king perceived 
only too well the thrill which was causing all this 
adorable body to shiver. He threw himself upon 
her, kissing her eyes, her mouth, her bosom, agi- 
tatedly descending, palpitating through the foamy 
laces which covered the perfection of this body 
which was his property, his slave. 

“The empress awaits you, sire!” said Najeska 
Ivanowna, with an agonized cry. 

She is going to let you choose between expelling 
me! or to lose her good-will, her fortune, her friend- 
ship forever. What are you going to do?” 

And the sang froid with which she had armed her- 
self suddenly abandoning her, the ex-ambassadress 
melted into tears. 

“Do not forget that I have no one in the world 
but thee!” said she, with a sorrowful moan. 

“Could I do it?— could I ever do it?” said the king, 


254 


MEH ROYAL LOVER. 


who was still completely mad with the desire of 
always possessing this superb creature. 

He must hasten, however. The empress was not 
accustomed to waiting, and woe to him who had 
dared to thwart her! 

A half an hour had scarcely flown since the old 
sovereign’s order, before the King of Thessaly was 
already in her presence. The Princess Corysande 
and the hereditary Prince and Princess of Babylon 
were with her. 

“You must expel that woman! and you must ex- 
pel her immediately, instantly, this very night!” 

Such were the frantic words which fell precipi- 
tately from the baleful lips of the empress. In 
order not to allow the king a single moment for re- 
flection, whose feebleness of character was, how- 
ever, but too well known. Monsieur de Brandt, 
minister of the interior, and Monsieur de Werther, 
secretary of state and foreign affairs, had been sent 
for in great haste to come to their majesties and im- 
perial highnesses. While awaiting the arrival of 
Charles Ferdinand, a decree of banishment had been 
drawn up against Madame de Mineleko ; and there 
was nothing to do but to legalize it and put it in exe- 
cution. 

“Compose yourself, your majesty! It will soon be 
midnight, and you cannot honestly compel this un- 
happy creature to depart at this hour, alone, de- 
prived of all. The bio >v that you wish to strike is 
too terrible; wait until to-morrow; you will be 
calmer and you will consider more wisely. Such a 
procedure would attract the censure of everybody 
upon you.” the prince imperial had said to the em- 
press, while they were debating together what it 
was best to do. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


255 


‘‘No! no! it is immediately, at this hour, I tell you, 
that I want this woman, this infamous creature, to 
go away! Oh! great God! why can I not drive her 
away myself?” vociferated this old countess, with 
rage become a furious shrew. 

We will pass over the terrible and undignified 
scene which followed. The unhappy Najeska Ivan- 
owna was only too correct! her fate was irrevoca- 
bly decided. 

The king, surprised, caught by this unexpected 
avalanche, which descended suddenly upon him, 
had not the courage to open his lips. The “imperial 
mother-in-law” did not permit him to speak, only 
when she saw that he was frightened enough to 
swear to her, upon the most sacred oaths, that never 
would he attempt to see this “miserable creature” 
again, whom he had “almost in spite of her,” mar- 
ried this very morning and to whom, before God and 
before men, he had promised assistance and protec- 
tion, love and fidelity! What an example for this 
son-in-law of a few hours! Where, then, shall we 
find good faith and honor, if it is not the habitual 
and even forced guest in the hearts of kings! 

“Do not hesitate, sire! swear to me! or if not, I 
declare to you that I will forever disinherit your 
children,” raved the furious old woman. 

Charles Ferdinand gave proof of but very little in_ 
telligence. With coolness and reflection he would 
have known that the empress, in spite of her indig- 
nation, her irritation, would never go so far as to 
put into execution the threat which a veritable in- 
sanity wrested from her. She to injure her grand- 
children, whom she loved more than the world, the 
children of her idolized daughter? never! Her old 
hardened heart had only one virtue, her maternal 


256 


HEB ROYAL LOVER, 


love ; and she carried this to its utmost limits ; even 
tigers love their young ! 

But the king was weak ; he was afraid ; man in 
name, cipher in fact, he could neither guard nor de- 
fend the unfortunate woman with whom he had 
united his destiny. Before the anger of his mother- 
in-law, stifling will and love, he basely cast her upon 
the highway, delivered her to merciless derision. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


257 


CHAPTER XXXVI, 

NAJESKA IVANOWNA’S COURAGE. 

An hour passed, perhaps two, and the king did not 
reappear. 

Eager to learn what has passed between the king 
and the terrible old empress, Najeska Ivanowna 
cannot keep quiet. She arises, and feverishly walks 
with a regular and continuous step, the limited ex- 
tent of her chamber. The noise of her steps frightens 
her ; she stops irresolute, her eyes dry, her manner 
frenzied, excited by anguish ; at last, exhausted by 
fatigue, she throws herself upon her bed. She en- 
deavors to sleep ; in vain ; it has fled forever. She 
will sleep no more, she says to herself. 

To this horrible agitation an invincible torpor has 
succeeded; her head, supported on her burning 
hand, her body inanimate, she remains there im- 
movable. All the life of this beautiful creature, 
but just now all trembling with love and ecstacy, 
is concentrated in her staring eyes, whose somber 
wild glance remains riveted upon the door by which 
her royal husband has disappeared. 

A very long time passes thus, in expectation. 

With strained ears, the unhappy creature starts 
unceasingly; at each moment she believes she hears 
the king who is coming back to her; but, alone in 
the silence of this dismal night, the tic-tac of the 
clock lets the minutes fall, uniformly and regularly, 
into eternity. 

“ My God ! my God ! he will return no more !” 

Agitated, terrified, she feels as if a void is form- 


258 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


ing around her. “Never, never more will she see 
him again!” 

Is there not, with all those who love, with women 
especially, a sensitive and delicate flower, a sort of 
invisible power, a moral loadstone adapted to fore- 
warn them of unknown dangers and secret snares? 
It is a species of second-sight, prescience, which is 
commonly termed presentiment. 

And her disquietude, her anguish, recommences, 
with her despair and her fears. 

The time passes, however, terrible in its rapidity 
as thunder and lightning; Najeska Ivanowna arises 
again, erect and stiff as a specter ; she recommences 
her promenade, which she wishes to make as long 
as the night which surrounds her. But, at last, 
fatigue is stronger than anxiety, sleep with its inex- 
tricable nets, envelop her ; her eyelids, reddened by 
watching and weeping, grow heavy : she becomes 
drowsy ; she sleeps. 

She was sleeping profoundly, when a second time 
repeated raps near her startled her out of sleep. 
Some one standing at the head of the bed, with a 
candle in hand, endeavors to make her arise. 

Najeska Ivanowna trembles. Heavens! is it he? 

Alas ! it was only her maid. 

“I beg a thousand pardons, Madame la Princess,” 
said this girl, “ but the grandmistress of the palace 
is in the adjoining room; she prays your highness 
to grant her a few moments conversation. ” 

Najeska Ivanowna, terrifled, feels that some ter- 
rible events are entangling her on every side. Un- 
consciously, mechanically, she answers : 

“ Tell Madame de Langweilig that she may wait 
until to-morrow ; I will then give her the audience 
which she desires.” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


259 


Under the influence of a profound irritation, she 
had spoken very loud, as if to make the grandmis- 
tress distinctly understand that now she was her 
queen, loud enough that these words might reach 
the ears of Madame de Langweilig. 

The grandmistress was not there to jest. She 
represented the old empress, stamping with impa- 
tience, and keeping the King of Thessaly a prisoner 
until the departure of the post-chaise which was to 
take Madame de Mineleko away. Knowing that it 
was for her interest to act with celerity, she decided 
not to parley any longer and, pushing the door ab- 
ruptly, she found herself in the middle of the cham- 
ber. 

Najeska Ivanowna, more outraged yet than 
frightened by this violation of her privacy, found 
the courage to redress herself. 

“Since when, madam, have you the right to 
penetrate at night in my apartment^” 

“Madam,” said the grandmistress, with difficulty 
restraining an impertinence which she had cast 
with pleasure in the face of the detested and fallen 
womnn, “I act by order of the king.” 

“By the order of the king?— of the king, my hus- 
band?” cried Najeska Ivanowna, so stung to the 
quick by the insolent look of the grandmistress, that 
she did not hesitate to haughtily confess the truth. 
She believed she was thus establishing herself defi- 
nitely in her new dignity, by recalling to order the 
disrespectful subject of her husband. 

“Yes, madam,' his majesty has just signed a de- 
cree of expulsion against you, and it is my duty, a 
very painful one, I assure you, to announce to you 
this news.” 

Madame de Mineleko believed at first that the old 


260 


EEE ROYAL LOVER, 


grandmistress had taken leave of her senses, or else 
that she herself had imperfectly comprehended her. 
Instinctively she raised her hands to her forehead 
as if to compress there her reason ready to escape 
her. 

“ I am, madam, under the necessity of entreating 
you, of ordering you even, to hasten. A post-chaise, 
harnessed to four stout horses, is before the door ; it 
awaits you. You must dress quickly then, and de- 
part.” 

For a moment Najeska Ivanowna appeared 
crushed ; but, suddenly recovering her presence of 
mind, she said : 

“You pretend that it is his majesty the king who 
has given you such orders! the king who loves me 
more than his life! than his throne!” said she, with 
all the haughtiness of an offended queen. “ Get you 
gone ! get you gone immediately ! I order you out ; 
you are a miserable wretch, for you lie !” 

For all response, Madame de Lang well ig presented 
to the unfortunate woman the decree of banish- 
ment, signed by the king himself. This writing she 
was as well acquainted with as herself, her eyes 
could not deceive her ! 

My God! but was she losing her senses! was she 
the plaything of a frightful nightmare? 

The unhappy woman, completely crushed, let 
herself fall upon a seat. Yes, this writing was 
really the king’s ! And, however, she was not dream- 
ing when she recalled that scarcely an instant be- 
fore he was here, beside her, passionately in love, 
entirely taken up with promises for a future which 
he wished to make delightful and happy ! 

By a superhuman effort she endeavored to recover 
from the terrible shock which she had just received. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


261 


The grandmistress, triumphant, a malicious smile 
in lier eyes, was following ironically all the phrases 
of this conflict which was fought in the mind of the 
princess. 

“You show me this paper; so be it!” said she. 
“ But I am the king’s legitimate wife ; say, then, to 
those who have seno you, that I shall not quit this 
palace without having seen my husband again, with- 
out having heard from his lips that this decree is not 
a horrible fraud.” 

“ The king has forseen all, Madame la Princess. I 
am also to respond to this demand that it is abso- 
lutely impossible for him to accede to your desire. 
An immense price is attached to this determina- 
tion.” 

A strident laugh escaped from the distorted lips of 
the young woman. 

“Ah, well!” said she, resolutely, “if he does not 
come to me, I will go to him!” 

She arose to go out, but Madame de Langweilig 
intrepidly barred her passage. 

“ I am your prisoner, then? undoubtedly the victim 
of some infernal machination?” the king’s wife vio- 
lently cried. 

“Madame la Princess, I explain the facts clearly 
to you; there is neither mystery nor treachery. 
There has been signed against you a decree of ban- 
ishment to which under penalty of being compelled 
by force, you must obey, and that instantly. The 
thing to clearly establish is what is best for you to 
do,” said the grandmistress, artfully, “it is for you 
to submit calmly, for the present, to that which is 
commanded you by a will stronger than your own.” 

Afterward, if you deem it expedient, you may at- 
tempt the steps that you may deem useful. 


262 


EER ROYAL LOVER. 


‘‘Will you, if you please, since you are so clear 
and explicit, tell me for what crime they dare — do 
you comprehend me perfectly — they dare” (and she 
pronounced these words in a terrible manner) “to 
outrage me thus, me, an ex-ambassadress, now the 
wife of a king!” 

Madame de Langweilig, although not very timid, 
had not the hardihood to tell her that it was pre- 
cisely because she had not feared to accept the 
hand of the king, that this dreadful and unmerited 
chastisement was falling upon her; the terrible 
vengeance of the cruel and furious caprice of an old 
frantic woman. 

“You are silent, and the king does not come,” said 
the young woman suddenly. “ If that which you 
tell me is true, however, to what a coward, unjust 
destiny must then have united me!” 

She beat her hands with despair and rage. 

At this moment the rumbling of a carriage, the 
cracking of the postilion’s whip and the tinkling of 
the bells of the post-horses, were heard in the dis- 
tance. 

Najeska Ivanowna ran to the window, from 
whence she rapidly drew aside the curtain. It was 
a dark night without ; the illumination of the resi- 
dence city, never very marvelous, even in the begin- 
ning of the evening, was almost totally extin- 
guished, even on this night on which all had been 
illuminated for the princess’ marriage. But, with 
the eyes of a lynx animated with indignation, the 
princess distinguished the outlines of a heavy post- 
chaise harnessed to four horses. It was advancing 
slowly toward the palace; the draw-bridge had al- 
ready been crossed. Going straight ahead, the 
vehicle stopped under the very window of the rooms 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


263 


occupied at present by Madame de Mineleko. Di- 
rectly underneath there was a little private door, by 
which it had been agreed that Najeska Ivanowna 
should go away secretly in order to return home be- 
fore the dawn. 

Several shadows, scarcely visible for the regards 
of the indifferent, were standing about, huddled to- 
gether, deliberating while awaiting the arrival of 
the vehicle. In the reflections of the helmets, in the 
glistening of the long sabers of polished steel, which 
were brilliantly delineated upon the dull colors of 
the dark uniforms, Najeska Ivanowna immediately 
recognized the proflles of several cavaliers and an 
officer, who appeared to hold themselves ready for a 
departure rather than for a night patrol. 

The unhappy creature had no longer reason to de- 
lude herself ; the hideous truth was clearly display- 
ing itself in all its implacable reality. As she her- 
self had predicted to the king, this marriage was 
the misfortune of her life ! Oh ! the prediction that 
had been made to her by that sorceress encountered 
in her tender youth was not long in realizing itself! 
And did she not know now from whom the misfor- 
tune came? Who, save the old empress, could have 
ever been able to plot such a treason? 

She saw it, this odious plot which was enveloping 
her on all sides ! “ And the king, the feeble king, 

was undoubtedly the prisoner of his mother-in-law !” 
She had held the hand which had signed this iniquit- 
ous decree. A sovereign generally good and merci- 
ful, misled by anger, she had only acted thus against 
the princess because she had dared to take the place 
formerly occupied by the daughter of this mother, 
a roaring and howling lioness to defend the place of 


264 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


the dead, that no one was worthy to occupy after 
her. 

The grandmistress had said so, and undoubtedly 
she had her instructions, if Madame de Mineleko 
refused to depart of her own will and without dis- 
turbance, there would be a new outrage, force, 
which they would employ against her. This refined 
and haughty sensitive plant would be seized and 
dragged away by the rude and brutal hands of sol- 
diers, of ignoble police ; her aristocratic body would 
have to suffer those touches which, by themselves 
alone, destroy a woman. Alas ! and she was only 
at the commencement of her calvary ! A sublime 
resignation took the place of the revolt which had 
at first possessed her. Her decision was quickly 
made. 

“Leave me an hour to dress myself,” said she, 
coldly, to the Countess de Langweilig. 

“So be it; but make haste, I conjure you, for I ex- 
ceed my orders.” 

Madame de Langweilig was frightened at the 
strange sang froid which had taken possession of 
Madame de Mineleko. 

“Will you allow me at least the liberty of being 
alone in my chamber, madam?” said she, haught- 
ily, to the grandmistress. 

Even this request could not he granted ; the fu- 
rious and exalted imagination of the old empress 
was rendering her unjust, almost indecent. Fear- 
ing that the young woman might escape her, Ma- 
dame de Langweilig had been forbidden to lose the 
ambassadress out of her sight, though it were but a 
moment. 

“ Alas ! madam, I have orders not to leave you, 
even for a second,” 


HEB ROYAL LOVER. 


265 


‘^So. I am completely a prisoner,” said Madame de 
Mineleko, still with the same icy tone; “I must re- 
sign myself.” 

Madame de Langweilig, commencing to he fright- 
ened by this brutal and iniquitous mandate which 
she had to fulfill, bowed her head almost with shame. 

“ I will endeavor to discommode you as little as 
possible, madam. I will be discreet.” 

Madame de Mineleko, assisted by her maid, was 
quickly dressed, but in a complete silence. At each 
time that the details of the toilet caused the hands 
of ISTajeska Ivanowna to come in contact with those 
of her maid, the latter perceived that they were as 
cold as a snow-ball, hardened by frost; and then 
a shiver penetrated to the marrow of her bones. 
The frightful tranquillity of Najeska Ivanowna was 
full of menace, and despite herself, the grandmis- 
tress was disquieted. 

When Madame de Mineleko was dressed, and some 
little articles that belonged to her were collected in 
a valise (we recollect that she had only came prt)- 
visionally, to spend the wedding-night with her 
husband), she arose before the countess: 

Will you, madam, bear witness,” said she, ‘^that 
I leave here the jewels with which the King of Thes- 
saly has presented me. When wickedness and 
calumny are excited against me, which is inevitable 
and \ ery near, for they stamp upon misfortune as 
much as they bow before success, when the most ab- 
surd and the basest lies shall be disseminated about 
me, I give you, madam, the authority to contra- 
dict them, if they ever dare to accuse me of cupidity. 
Now, I am ready ; will you, I pray you, indicate to 
me the road which I have to follow to execute the 
orders that you have received.” 


266 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


She uttered this phrase in a commanding tone, as 
if she was still the Ambassadress of Caucasus ; and 
it was with the carriage of a queen, with the dignity 
which suited her misfortune, that she passed through 
this door which she had so joyously opened some 
hours before. 

Full of respect and admiration for so many out- 
rages so courageously supported, the assistants of 
this painful scene bowed profoundly upon the pas- 
sage of the princess, who was going forever away 
from this place, the witness of her triumphs, of her 
love. 

Apprehending a desperate resistance, several 
guards of the palace had been collected in the ante- 
chamber. 

“ So many men for one woman alone!” said Ma- 
dame de Mineleko, with a haughty and disdainful 
bitterness. 

There was scarcely any light in the corridors, 
and the immense monumental staircase was filled 
with shadows which imparted a thrill of terror. 

Almost absolute silence reigned in the vast feudal 
chateau, from whence these people, at the com- 
mands of an old vindictive empress, were chasing 
this fragile woman so cruelly wounded in her mod- 
esty, in her wifely dignity and in all her sentiments 
of feminine delicacy. 

Down below, a pale and flickering light was as- 
cending, whose reflections were projected on the 
staircase, giving to the arabesques of the forged-in 
balustrade curves and fantastic lines which were 
delineated like a phantasmagoria upon the wain- 
scoting of the vast walls. There, immovable and 
severe in their antiquated frames, appeared the 
glorious ancestors of Charles Ferdinand XVIII, 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


267 


Their dull, wan eyes seemed animated, indignation 
and commiseration were alternately glowing in 
them. Is it possible that one of them, descending 
from their race, blood of their blood, has been able 
to forfeit honor to such an extent? A traitor and 
perjurer to his oaths, they reject from their number, 
this king weak enough to suffer this young and 
beautiful woman to be driven away, at night, by 
mercenaries, as if she had been guilty of the crime 
of high-treason. 

As she was haughtily and proudly descending, 
the rays of the moon, hitherto vailed by thick 
clouds, suddenly penetrating through the large bay- 
windows, came like a silver nimbus, to rest upon 
the haughty brow of the Princess of Mineleko. 

Najeska Ivanowna had till now remained calm 
and imposing in her misfortune. Feeling directed 
upon her, glances, some indifferent, and others in- 
terested in her disgrace, she had held it an honor not 
to evince anything of the chagrin which was over- 
whelming her ; moreover, a last hope supported her 
still. It seemed impossible to her that the king, a 
short time since at her feet, could permit her to de- 
part without coming, at the last moment, smitten 
by remorse and love, rushing to meet her and make 
of his arms an impregnable rampart for her. Upon 
the point of crossing for the last time this threshold 
that she had passed like a queen and that she was 
leaving like an outlaw, she cast, in spite of herself, 
a long and despairing look upon these inhospitable 
walls. But saw nothing ! — nothing but the grand- 
mistress, her maid and some police officers who 
surrounded her. 

“Is there a traveling rug in the carriage?” said 


268 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


suddenly the voice of a servant-woman, running up 
at the last moment. 

It was the old and faithful maid of the Princess 
Aline, who, sent under this pretext, came in reality 
to protest by her presence, against the injustice of 
the grandmother, and manifest by a salutation that 
she brought her on the part of her young and royal 
mistress, all the sympathy of the latter for the poor 
fugitive. 

No! there was no traveling rug. In this unex- 
pected and rapid departure, they had not had time 
to think of it. It was in a Scotch plaid belonging to 
the amiable Princess Aline that the police officers 
enveloped the icy feet of Madame de Mineleko, in- 
stalled at last in the heavy post-carriage which was 
to carry her beyond the frontier. 

“ Her royal highness sends her dearest friendship 
to Madame de Mineleko!” cried the old maid to the 
princess. 

Such were the last friendly words which reached 
the ear of poor Najeska Ivanowna. 

In the cold and gloomy night which followed this 
stormy day, the raised arm of this woman waving 
her handkerchief as a sign of sympathy, the group 
of palace guards upon the door-step, watching her 
flight, such were the last visions of the princess on 
quitting the royal chateau. But no! — not quite the 
last — for, mechanically raising her head while pass- 
ing before the little palace, she saw glued behind 
the panes of a window better lighted than the others, 
the disturbed visage of the king and that of the 
completely triumphant old empress following her, 
he with haggard eyes, she with her’s glittering with 
hate and anger. Then all vanished, the massive 
vehicle bearing in the night to the cloister this 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


269 


young woman, going to conceal far from the world 
her disgrace and her despair. 


CHAPTER XXXYII. 

UNDER THE WEIGHT 01 HER CROSS. 

The post-chaise continued on its way as rapidly 
as its four horses could bear it. The coppice-wood 
of the little forest which extended behind the royal 
palace was quickly traversed. In the distance, al- 
ready far behind, the immense edifice entirely dark, 
with its deep moat, its high walls, its turrets of the 
middle age and its slender spires, was disappearing 
from the horizon. 

Xow', they were traversing a great sheet of light 
that the moon was throwing like a long white rib- 
bon, upon the thickly-wooded country which sur- 
rounded the capital of Thessaly. 

•The coachman’s whip re-echoed, almost sinisterly, 
in the silence of the night; the vehicle dolefully 
crushed the leaves and the branches with which the 
morning's storm had strewn the earth. 

The wind was uttering long sighs. The echo re- 
verberated in the chain of mountains roundabout. 
It was night with its train of terrors ; it was the soli- 
tude and the profound darkness of the midst of the 
country. The pebbles seemed to grind their teeth 
under the carriage wheels. 

The sigh of the wind ran rapidly through the for- 
est, which the unconscious traveler was approach- 
ing in spite of herself. The heavy wheels in passing 
noisily, awakened the broods of birds asleep in the 
branches. The voice of night was arising on all 
sides. The crooked forms of the high bushes which 


270 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


ran along the road lighted by the pale stars, had the 
appearance of hideous gnomes whose bizarre forms 
frightened the shattered nerves of Madame de Mine- 
leko. 

The air became colder as the night advanced, but 
Madame de Mineleko, almost inanimate, in her cor- 
ner, did not feel the cold which was benumbing her 
limbs. She was so confused, so absorbed by the 
rapid events of this inauspicious day, that she be- 
lieved she was a prey to a frightful nightmare, she 
was even asking herself if she was not a fantastic 
personage of Hoffmann’s tales, flying in this sinis- 
ter night. 

Long moments elapsed, sadly and slowly, in the 
jolting of this vehicle in which Najeska Ivanowna 
was alone with her maid. The arrival at the first 
relay, withdrew her from the torpor which had 
usurped her, and recalled her to the sufferings of 
reality. Now was about to commence the laborious 
ascension of these high mountains, whose rugged 
and sinuous road was becoming, while advancing,* 
more and more painful to climb. 

Madame de Mineleko, instead of going directly to 
the nearest frontier, had profited by the only favor 
which had been granted her, “provided that she 
promptly quitted the territory of the king. ” She 
was going, then, to Montaboro, the first town in the 
mountains which was no longer a part of Thessaly. 
It was there that her two dear children were in se- 
curity, her two last consolations. Banished from 
the world, rejected by him who ought to be her aid 
and protection, she was going to demand of God 
that which men refused her. Madame de Mineleko, 
the daughter of a Christian mother, whose father, a 
Polish prince, had died in the defense of his faith 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


271 


and his country, was herself a Catholic ; it was then 
to the convent of the Sisters of Sainte-Marie de la 
Misericorde, a vast and gloomy cloister, that she 
was going to live at present, endeavoring in this 
quiet retreat to forget, if not to pardon. 

In broad daylight an excursion through these 
mountains was a difficult thing; but, in the ob- 
scurity of the night this journey became almost im- 
practicable. The order was explicit, however, and 
the detachment of police which, according to the 
wishes of the empress, surrounded the carriage of 
the fugitive, had received instructions not to inter- 
rupt the journey, under any pretext whatever, until 
the exile was out of the Thessalian dominions. 

As it often happens in this life, when misfortune 
has entered a door it does not seem likely to leave 
it; it was to be thus for Najeska Ivanowna, who, as 
well through the road she was traveling as through 
her companion, had yet many annoyances to endure 
during this painful ascension. 

The frightful tempest of the day had occasioned > 
very great devastation, whose wrecks, scattered 
here and there, obstructed the road and made this 
sad journey longer and more fatiguing. On all 
sides there were nothing but enormous blocks of 
stone, entire trees uprooted by the fury of the storm, 
telegraph poles lying upon the earth soaked by the 
morning rain, and fallen rocks which it was neces- 
sary to remove one by one in order to be able to con- 
tinue their journey. 

The maid, a superstitious peasant, with her head 
crammed with mysterious apparitions of the devil 
and of saints, was becoming one torture more for 
the poor afflicted creature. It was necessary for 
her, she whose courage was so tried, to raise that of 


272 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


this girl who, shivering, was making a multitude of 
signs of the cross in the presence of this landscape, 
whose terrible desolation was still increased by the 
darkness of the night, for in these densely wooded 
mountains the rays of the moon were hardly able in 
the shadiest parts to penetrate through the gnarled 
boles of the trees, whose interlaced branches were 
still loaded with heavy drops of rain that the least 
movement shed upon the ground. 

In a miserable chamber of the inn, destitute of 
everything, the travelers were obliged to wait until 
the weary horses were removed and fresh horses 
harnessed again. 

“May the Holy Virgin receive our souls!” whis- 
pered Glascha, approaching her mistress trembling 
and terrified; “for it appears to me that they are 
conducting us to Hapes.” 

Under her wily appearance this girl concealed a 
vile and black soul that the princess, with her up- 
right and candid character, would have never been 
able to divine. For a “yes” or a “no,” although ex- 
travagantly paid, she had abandoned her poor mis- 
tress to the danger of going away alone, in the dark 
night, intrusted to these strange coachmen who 
were continually changing at the different relays, 
and to an escort of police. 

Madame de Mineleko, seated upon the only and 
miserable wooden bench of the tavern, remained 
plunged in a profound silence. She had refused to 
touch the poor food, all that this wretched cabin 
could offer, and that the officer of the detachment 
had himself prepared for her. The old peas- 
ant, half asleep, was casting amazed and delighted 
glances upon this lovely white creature, whose 
fingers loaded with glittering rings was attracting 


beh royal lover. 


273 


her attention. Najeska Ivanowna, having removed 
her gloves^ was pressing her icy hands upon her 
burning brow ready to burst; her cap, although 
light, appearing an insupportable weight to her 
aching head, had been cast aside. Freed thus from 
all fetters her heavy and silky chestnut hair, dis- 
heveled by the jolting of the vehicle, was falling al- 
most unknotted upon the dark green plush mantle 
which scarcely covered her. Her remarkable beauty 
was not alone attracting attention; a lively curi- 
osity was seizing their minds at the sight of this un- 
known woman who was militarily escorted by a 
whole detachment of police. They were regarding 
her with stupor, and asking who she could be, for 
in the poorest cabins they had the portrait of the 
I late queen and some of the princesses (the royal 
I family of Thessaly being very popular in the coun- 
try), and this woman was surely not one of them, the 
I astonished peasants were saying to each other. 

I Who, then, was she? 
j The carriage was soon ready again. 

“ Is Madame la Princess disposed to continue her 
journey?” the officer demanded, respectfully. 

This request was only made for form’s sake, for 
i whether she was willing or not, the exile was obliged 
I to continue her journey forward. But the men had 
received the explicit order to treat this young unfor- 
! tunate woman with all the respect due to her rank. 

Najeska Ivanowna was so much absorbed by her 
sad meditations, that at first she did not quite com- 
prehend. The officer reiterated his request a second 
time. Then, rising frightened, as if coming out of 
a dream : 

“Let us set out, if all is ready,” said she, her voice, 
like an unknown voice, sounding strange to her 


274 


}IER ROYAL LOVER. 


own ears. Indeed, what difference did it make to 
her to go or to come ? to remain here, or to advance 
there? 

She followed the men, who renewed their march. 

In this dark night the sky permitted no other scin- 
tillation to pierce than here and there, the reflec- 
tion of a light through the black and heavy mass of 
clouds. All was disorder diffused. It seemed that 
they heard the breath of phantoms and of specters 
running near the vehicle, the croaking of malevo- 
lent birds in the air, and that, striding the winds, 
the hydras of the Apocalypse were flying, announc- 
ings the last hour of the world. 

Suddenly, a strange thing, a phosphorescence in- 
vaded the sky. In this mountainous country nature 
is filled with phenomenons, explicable through elec- 
tricity which can alone produce them. Glascha, 
frightened, made anew the sign of the cross. 

“Madame la Princess, look — look there!” said 
she, pointing to the horizon. 

There, almost grazing this phosphorescence, at a 
certain moment a long black flle of birds of passage 
crossed the heavens. Then, as if they had breathed 
upon the light, it was suddenly extinguished. 

Madame de Mineleko started; it was a flight of 
ravens, birds of ill-omen, whose presence always 
announced new misfortunes. Then, a great gust of 
wind arose ; then, swelling, it became furious, tear- 
ing the earth up suddenly, and whirling in the air 
all that which it encountered like a fantastic whirl- 
wind. Fear, bordering on insanity, was increasing 
more and more in the heart of Glascha. 

“Holy Virgin of mercy! have pity on us ! If we 
had only arrived to the end -of our journey!” said 
she, while constantly signing herself with the cross. 


BER ROYAL LOVER. 


275 


“Madame la Princess, see! Oh! the heavens are 
angry ! My God ! what will become of us?” 

Najeska Ivanowna did not respond, but she her- 
self was quite overcome by this sinister phenomenon 
which was streaking the clouds. She got in the 
vehicle again, and the dull journey recoirmenced 
sad and gloomy. The obscurity was still very great, 
and the road was becoming more and more steep; 
from time to time, enormous groups of trembling 
shadows were delineated across the steep and diffi- 
cult route. At times the tumult of the wind became 
alm(‘st deafening, and an uneasiness, the singular 
uneasiness which seizes in unknown and sublime 
solitudes, was taking possession of Najeska Ivan- 
owna and her maid. 

And while the vehicle continually ascends, while 
the heavy steps of the coachman descended from 
his seat in order to lighten the weight resounds, 
while the silence of the night is disturbed by the 
stamping of the breathless and weary horses and 
the clicking of the gendarme’s sabers, a great sad- 
ness invades the soul of Najeska Ivanowna. A sor- 
rowful cry rends her heart, a sublime prayer, that 
of our Saviour upon Calvary, falls from her lips: 
“Eli! Eli! lama sabachthani?” The unhappy woman 
succumbs, she also under the weight of her cross ! 


276 


heu royal lover. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

A NEW INSULT. 

When Xajeska Ivanowna awoke for the first time 
in the pious retreat where she had come to seek 
peace and consolation, it was almost two o’clock in 
the afternoon. After having embraced her dear 
babies, her first thought was of him who had so 
cruelly, so unjustly sacrificed her. Undoubtedly, 
she would receive a letter, a message, or a telegram 
from him. Oh ! yes, he would give her by some 
means a sign of life, of interest, of friendship I Al- 
though she had been pained to learn the frailty of 
the human heart, this poor immolated creature 
would not have been able to believe that this king 
whom she had seen the day before, so filled with 
love, so tremulous with tenderness, had already and 
forever forgotten and abandoned her. In this hour 
of distress how she recalled the oaths of eternal 
constancy and fidelity, which he had lavished upon 
her when tremblingly and timidly she had made 
him a confidant of her apprehensions of the future ! 
Her apprehensions— alas ! how promptly they were 
justified ! 

Completely depressed by discouragement and de- 
spair, the poor Princess de Mineleko was vainly en- 
deavoring to return to the reality of things. Nothing 
of this which surrounded her was calculated to 
pour the least balm in this grief-stricken heart. The 
murky and rainy weather seemed the reflection of 
this soul so unhappy. An uncertain light was feebly 
penetrating through the narrow window of the little 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


277 


cell which she occupied ; her poor eyes, weakened by 
the abundant tears which she had shed, were wan- 
dering almost without perceiving it over this mag- 
nificent but sinister panorama which was spread out 
before her. Similar to those that Dante portrays in 
his “Purgatory,” this landscape presented a truly 
sublime spectacle. An immense solitude extended 
on all sides; the frightful roar of the cascades, fall- 
ing from steep summits to madly precipitate them- 
selves like whirlwinds of humid dust through the 
labyrinth of valleys and the chaos of the mountains, 
alone disturbed the silence. Not a hut, not a roof, 
nothing but the sky. Gigantic blocks of granite, 
their enormous crevasses filled with heather and 
thorns rankly and wildly growing, were hanging 
over the narrow gorges, bristling with jagged mount- 
ains ; in the distance, the horizon, bounded by eter- 
nal snows, was entirely covered with clouds that the 
wind, increased by the sonorousness of the atmos- 
phere, was amassing at first in order to disperse 
them afterward. All was melancholy in this place, 
darkened by the heavy flight of ravens and that of 
great birds of prey, who hover silently in space. 
The sublimity of the spectacle, the gravity of the 
sky, the severity of this savage and wild nature 
grasped the soul, oppressed, overpowered it, in spite 
of the pure air which surrounded it. The great bell 
of the convent has suddenly rung ; it is two o’clock, 
the dinner-hour. Najeska Ivanowna, drawn from 
her sad and profound meditations, thinks at last of 
dressing herself; she will have to do without assist- 
ance, for no bell is here to admit of her summoning 
her maid. How far is the luxury to which the aris- 
tocratic princess is habituated? Here, nothing but 
absolute necessities; all comfort, even all ease is ex- 


278 


EER BOYAL LOVER. 


eluded from this austere asTlum ; an iron bedstead, 
a stool, a table, and wasbstand ; this is all that the 
chamber comprises in which Najeska Ivanowna 
must pass the days of her affiction. 

Her toilet completed, she entered the cold and 
damp corridor which led to the refectory. This vast 
hall, of a truly lugubrious aspect, was already filled 
with nuns and pupils. In traversing the corridor 
which precedes the entrance to it. Madame de Mine- 
leko encountered her dear babies, who, in their 
nurse's arms, were setting out for a short but hy- 
giene promenade. Very much impressed by the 
surroundings in which they foimd themselves, these 
laughing and babbling women had suddenly become 
grave and taciturn. Desiring, at present, to follow 
as much as possible the rules of the community, 
they hardly dared to budge, even before their mis- 
tress whom, neverthleess, they loved weU, The 
very involuntary or rather unconscious change of 
these women in their welcome, ordinarily so expan- 
sive and so cordial, violently hurt the tender and 
sensitive heart of the young woman. Like all those 
who suffer, she had become sensitive; the least 
thing wounded her to the quick. Great tears escap- 
ing from her eyes feU upon the plump cheeks of her 
children, whom she passionately embraced as though 
to compensate herself with those innocent beings for 
the abandonment of all. 

The frugal repast was accomplished in the most 
profound silence; the noise of the forks and the 
glasses were the only ones which came to interrupt 
it. All was remembrance, compassion, for Xajeska 
Ivanowna. What a difference, she was saying to 
herself, between this dinner and that of yesterday, 
seated at the table of her royal spouse, to the sound 


■HER BOiAL LOVER. 


279 


of the music of the regiment of the guards! All, 
then, was joy and ostentation— and to-day? 

The aspect of the meditative nuns in their woolen 
robes, wearing upon their breast the large cross of 
the crucifixion and at the left side the rosary, froze 
her soul. 

Suddenly, the shrill sound of a hunting-horn is 
heard ; the echoes round about reverberate it from 
space to space. This known signal, this loved sig- 
nal, makes every eye raise hitherto kept obstinately 
lowered. 

“It is the post-boy,” said the mother superior, near 
to whom Najeska Ivanowna had been placed. A 
furtive blush stained the pale wan face of the un- 
happy young woman. 

“That which astonishes me,” pursued the abbess, 
“is that he comes at an hour which is unusual for 
him.” Then, turning to one of the sewing-nuns: 
“ Sister Marie-Madeleine, go and ask the attendant 
sister what this may be.” 

Najeska Ivanowna, all tremulous, was pitiful to 
behold. 

“You do not eat, madam,” said the mother su- 
perior, seeing the princess’ plate remain full. 

Some moments had fiown when Sister Marie- 
Madeleine entered. Quite low, very low, she said 
some words in the mother superior’s ear. She, after 
having listened, turned to Madame de Mineleko. 

“ It is a message brought to you, madam, by a 
special courier, from the capital of Thessaly,” said 
she. 

At this news Najeska Ivanowna saw something 
like a cloud pass before her eyes. She arose, totter- 
ing, feeling her knees bend under her, and paim 
fully quitted the refectory. 


280 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


A man, all covered still with the dust from his 
journey, was standing waiting in that part of the 
convent in which the opposite sex is still admitted. 
Eaising his hand respectfully to his hat as if to exe- 
cute a sort of military salute, he presented to Ma- 
dame de Mineleko a large envelope sealed with the 
ministerial seal. Full of terror and anguish, Na- 
jeska Ivanowna, leaving the courier in the hall of 
the monastery, withdrew in order to be alone, en- 
tirely alone, to learn the contents of this letter so 
much desired. Who knows? perhaps it was a word 
of explanation from the king, a tender message 
from the husband of yesterday? Hardly had she 
cast her eyes upon this missive than she recognized 
with despair that the writing was not that of Charles 
Ferdinand. A vague presentiment compressed her 
heart like a vice, her hands were trembling so much 
that, incapable of controlling them, she had much 
difficulty in breaking the royal seal; armed with 
courage and impatience, however, she broke it. It 
was a communication from the ministry, “offering 
to Madame de Mineleko, in the king’s name, the title 
of Princess of Rodrom, with the land, the chateau, 
and the revenues dependent on the title, a private 
property of the king, situated out of his dominion, 
on the express condition that she would never again 
set her feet upon the soil of Thessaly and to aban- 
don forever her rights as the wife of the sovereign.” 
And this was all. Not a line, not a word, not a sign 
from the king. 

A terrible cry escaped from the breast of the un- 
happy princess ; but immediately, pride and indig- 
nation predominating, the second which was fran- 
tically ascending to her throat, expired, strangled 
by the force of her will. Not a word of reproach^ 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


281 


not a murmur came to betray the tumult of her 
soul ; a livid pallor spread over the weary features 
of the young woman alone revealed the combat 
which was taking place within her. 

Desiring to distinctly emphasize all her contempt 
for this new insult, she contented herself by respond- 
ing with a pencil which she had always about her. 
With a firm hand, that nothing more could agitate 
after this, she wrote on the reverse of the message : 

“The king’s wife, not selling herself, refuses the 
infamous bargain ; she will assert her rights, and 
will struggle to maintain them. This is the irrevo- 
cable response which she transmits to the Sovereign 
of Thessaly.” 

And each word, in order to make them compre- 
hend that she would remain indexible in her resolu- 
tion, she underscored three times. 


282 


EER ROYAL LOVER, 


CHAPTER XXXIX. 

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. 

When the messenger had departed, bearing the 
response of Madame de Mineleko, the dignity and 
the strength that had hitherto supported her, com- 
pletely abandoned her. Quickly taking refuge in 
her miserable cell she could at last relieve her heart, 
so burdened with outrages and apprehensions, and 
permit the sobs which oppressed her to freely es- 
cape. 

This nightmare which she was endeavoring to dis- 
pel; was it, then, a frightful reality? All was ended, 
then, between the king and her ! Ended ! and at the 
very hour wherein the marriage had been consum- 
mated. 

Xajeska Ivanowna wept a long time, her body 
thrown across the bed in an abandonment of heart- 
rending despair. Who had she now to aid and sup- 
port her in this atrocious struggle which was about 
to commence? No one would come, to revive again 
by an affectionate word, her broken courage; not a 
friendly hand would endeavor to heal the wound of 
her heart! “Nothing more — nothing in the world 
but thou alone, oh my God! Forsake me not, I be- 
seech thee !” A short, but fervent prayer which, 
from the soul of this poor martyr, ascended to 
heaven. Undoubtedly, the Lord was touched by it, 
for its efficacy was not long in coming. After hav- 
ing given free course to her tears Najeska Ivan- 
owna felt her ideas gradually rearranging them- 
selves in her poor head, Pespite the delirium in 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


283 


which she had lived since the previous day, an idea 
traversed her mind. 

The Ambassador of Caucasus, in his furious jeal- 
ousy against the king, had secretly put himself in 
communication with the advocates belonging to the 
parties in opposition to the government. She recol- 
lected that her husband had spoken especially of a 
Monsieur Klug, recognized chief of the opposition. 

He was a man who by his personal valor and by 
his popularity in the country, inspired the ministry 
with a certain fear. 

“It is,” said Najeska Ivanowna to herself, “to 
Monsieur Klug that I must address myself.” 

A courier was to set out that very evening from 
Montaboro (the country in which the monastery of 
de la Misericorde was located) ; she would profit by 
it to write to the celebrated advocate of the resi- 
dence. 

Somewhat recomposed by this thought, the prin- 
cess wrote the whole tragic truth to Monsieur Klug, 
strongly insisting that he should come to see her 
without losing a single instant. This letter com- 
pleted, the young woman felt calmer. For greater 
precaution, she descended to the little village and 
delivered herself this precious missive in the post- 
office, not wishing at any price to intrujt it to a 
third person or even to put it in the box of the con- 
vent where, morning and evening, a carrier came to 
take the correspondence of the nuns and the pupils. 

This night a refreshing sleep descended at last 
upon the poor creature ; she slept profoundly, and 
the next day, when the bell of the cloister was 
heard, she awoke, entirely illuminated by a daz- 
zling sunbeam which, flooding her cell, was falling 
directly upon her pillaw. 


284 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


The morning passed slowly to the desires of the 
unhappy woman. Monsieur Klug had received at 
eight o’clock in the morning the letter of his illus- 
trious client ; he set out immediately by a diligence 
which brought him at five o’clock in the evening be- 
fore the somber cloister of Sainte-Marie de la 
Misericorde. 

When the advocate set his feet upon the ground 
before the massive doors of the gloomy edifice the 
sun still in all its strength was brilliantly lighting it 
and making all the front windows sparkle gayly 
with a thousand diverse fires. The aspect of this 
asylum of oblivion and of peace was less dismal, 
less sinister, than when Najeska Ivanowna, forty- 
eight hours before, had entered it for the first time 
in a dark and tempestuous night. The painted 
statues of the bleeding Christ which, at every 
twenty paces, were elevated in the rugged moun- 
tains, appeared themselves less sad, less frightful in 
this desert landscape which they decorated with 
their sublime and imposing figures; for in this 
Catholic country adjacent to Thessaly, as in Italy, 
everywhere may be seen on the exterior of villages 
and of houses, frescoes and paintings. Every, 
where, also, painted statues in stucco of the Virgic 
and of our Lord. 

Najeska Ivanowna introduced Monsieur Klug in 
her apartment. The interview which she had with 
him was long. 

'‘The first step to take,” said Monsieur Klug, “is. 
since the marriage has been kept secret from every- 
body, to publish the news in the official gazette, the 
ministerial organ of the king. They cannot refuse 
this insertion, since the king has himself signed the 
marriage register and that, moreover, tkere exists 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


285 


a legal deed of gift made in your favor at the time 
of his union with you. I am going to address myself 
to the pastor and, rigorously, to the minister of wor- 
ship, to obtain a copy of the church register ; I will 
act in the same manner with the counselors who 
have drawn up the civil contract. Afterward, Ma- 
dame la Princess, it will be necessary, by all means, 
to compel the government to retract the decree of 
banishment unjustly launched against you. With- 
out some grave misdemeanor against the laws of a 
country, they cannot expel a subject from his own 
territory. Now, you, madam, by your morganatic 
marriage, have become not only the wife of the king, 
but also the first citizen of the kingdom. That which 
cannot exist for a foreigner, is with much stronger 
reason rejected for the wife of the king. Thus, I 
swear to you that whatsoever the old empress may 
say or do, justice will be fully and duly rendered to 
you; and that, despite the terrible wickedness, de- 
spite the supreme autocracy of this sovereign.” 

As soon as her defender had left her, Najeska 
Ivanowna felt herself delivered from the horrible 
weight under which she had succumbed since some 
days. The whole community remarked with pleas- 
ure, (for already she had known how to win many 
hearts), the happy change which was operating in 
her. With confidence, her appetite returned. She, 
who since her arrival had scarcely touched the food 
which had been presented to her, found the frugal 
fare of the cloister excellent, and this evening 
even did great honor to it. 

Monsieur Klug had congratulated her upon the 
choice that she had made of this monastery as a re- 
treat. “You are thus sheltered from the malignity 
of your enemies, who w'ould be very happy to cast 


286 


heu noYAL lovek 


infamous calumnies against you. I strongly advise 
you to remain here until further orders from me,” 
he had said, on taking leave of her. 


CHAPTER XL. 

THE MARKIAGE ANNOUNCEMENT. 

Midnight was striking from all the clocks of the 
residence city, when, all smoking, the post-horses of 
the celebrated advocate stopped before his door. 

Madame Klug was anxiously waiting. Her hus- 
band had apprised her at the same time both of the 
stupefying news of the king’s secrec marriage, and 
the no less incredible news of the sudden banish- 
ment of the new wife. All these unexpected and 
strange facts had interested the advocate’s wife to a 
great degree. This excellent woman, very practical 
and incapable of exciting herself for anything what- 
soever, literally hadn’t been able to think of any 
other thing during the fourteen hours that the ab- 
sence of her husband had lasted. 

Monsieur Klug, while supping, responded to the 
legitimate curiosity of his wife in relating every- 
thing to her. 

“Apropos,” said Madame Klug, “I met Walpurga 
de Heiligenthal this afternoon. Her family are 
more opposed than ever to her marriage with 
Conrad Haller; the poor little one is very sad and 
will surely become ill, for the two young people 
adore each other.” 

“Always romance! always complications in life!” 
said Monsieur Klug, sighing. 

Monsieur Klug, not losing an instant, sent the 


BEIt ROYAL LOVER. 


287 


next morning a protest to the king and his ministers 
against the banishment of his client. 

‘‘They cannot banish the subjects of a country 
without making them acquainted with the motive of 
it,” said Monsieur Klug, “and Madame de Mineleko, 
by the circumstance even of her marriage with the 
reigning sovereign, has become the first citizen of 
the kingdom.” 

This protest was addressed not only to the court 
and to the ministry, but also to the supreme tribu- 
nal, where a complaint was lodged. 

The Empress of Hindostan had decided that she 
would take the King of Thessaly with her to pass 
some time in her empire. She was waiting to put 
her project in execution until the eight days of leave 
accorded to young Pattenpouff, on the occasion of 
his marriage, had expired. 

Since the rupture of the king with the Princess de 
Mineleko, the old sovereign did not leave him any 
more than his shadow, always apprehending that, 
seized by some desire, he might return to his wife. 
The poor king was absolutely a slave to his mother- 
in law. 

The old empress was as usual with him when they 
handed to the king the demand of Najeska Ivan- 
owna, to which Monsieur Klug had appended the 
official letter of the king, offering to Madame de 
Mineleko a title with lands and a pension as the 
price of her retirement and of her silence, and the 
response that she had made to it. On reading the 
proud and firm respond of the young woman, the 
king grew pale. 

“ What does that packet contain?” demanded the 
empress, imperiously. 

Charles Ferdinand, knowing that it was useless to 


288 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


endeavor to conceal it from his mother-in-law, ex- 
tended the missive to her. The empress read it from 
one end to the other. 

“To this,” said she, with her harsh, abrupt voice, 
“you must respond by a demand for a divorce.” 

“But a divorce cannot be obtained without a 
cause !” 

“ This creature” (with what a contemptuous tone 
was this word pronounced!) “is a wretch; with- 
out that she would never have succeeded in circum- 
venting you thus. Certainly, it will be easy in 
delving in her past, to find a thousand indiscretions 
which will be all-powerful reasons to annul this 
accursed marriage, and it is not doubtful that the 
tribunals will grant your cause.” 

Poor Najeska Ivanowna! her only infamies, so ve- 
hemently reproached, consisted in that radiant 
beauty, that infinite charm, with which without 
even desiring it, she won all hearts. 

The empress, while haranguing, while storming 
thus, was forgetting that the King of Thessaly, 
very near to his fiftieth year, was mature enough to 
be regarded as capable of knowing what he wished 
to do ; he was no longer at that age in which inex- 
perience and credulity may be deceived. Certainly 
they could never invoke his juvenility, his naivette, 
as extenuating circumstances. 

“You must send for Haller immediately, and learn 
his opinion. It is he who will preside at the tribunal, 
who will pronounce the judgment; ah well! we 
must dispose him in favor of our just cause.” 

By those few words the empress condemned her- 
self ; for if the cause was so just, why did she think to 
dispose the judge in her favor? The king did not re- 
spond. In his own mind he felt how ridiculous his im- 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


289 


becility was making him culpable ; he did not under- 
estimate the false position in which he found him- 
self, as much in respect to his own people as well as 
in the eyes of every serious, upright, and well-dis- 
posed person. His conscience, harassed by re- 
morse, left him neither relaxation nor repose. Since 
the day of his marriage he could no longer sleep ; 
haunted unceasingly by the thought of the unjust 
sufferings that his cowardice, said some, that the 
sacrifice of his happiness to his children’s future, 
said others, had inflicted on an unhappy woman, 
anxious and uneasy, he was nothing but the shadow 
of himself. Until then, the rumor of his secret mar- 
riage had remained in a latent state ; it might be 
hoped that time, that great master, would finish by 
smothering it; but now since Ha jeska Ivanowna 
had, very adroitly moreover, placed her interest in 
the hands of the chief of the opposition, they were 
no longer able to count upon discretion and silence. 

An hour had scarcely elapsed after the first notifi- 
cation, before the king had a second. 

This one came from the office of the official jour- 
nal, and advised the king that Monsieur King had 
exacted that the announcement of the sovereign’s 
marriage should be inserted in the columns of the 
public journal. 

“It is the right of my client,” he had said, “and I 
will maintain it against all opposition.” 

This time it was the commencement of a struggle 
whose fair side was not for the monarch. 

At first the indignation of the empress knew no 
bounds. 

“You are going to formally defend such a thing 1” 
cried the mother-in-law.” 


290 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


The King of Thessaly sent for his private secre- 
tary. 

“Let me speak to him,” said the empress, fearing 
that the king might not be positive enough in his 
orders. 

The arrival of the secretary did not take place im- 
mediately. It was some distance from the room in 
which he labored to the apartments reserved for the 
empress, where the King of Thessaly was at pres- 
ent obliged to remain all day. 

While waiting, the king, very much embarrassed 
at the grotesque role which he was obliged to play 
by the enraged mother-in-law, pretended to peruse 
a book, the empress, purple and breathless with 
rage, was walking to and fro like an animal in- 
closed in a cage, too narrow to contain it. 

As the secretary appeared : 

“Moll,” cried the empress, after having imparted 
to him that which had occurred, “you must repair 
immediately to the office of the official journal; 
there, you will say that the king forbids — do you 
understand me? — forbids this announcement to ap- 
pear in any journals.” 

The secretary, bowing to the earth before the sov- 
ereign, departed to execute promptly the royal 
order. 

Hardly was he at the door before the empress, re- 
considering, recalled him : 

“Apropos, Monsieur Moll, the king wishes to speak 
to the president of the supreme tribunal.” 

The king, stupefied, endeavored to make a gest- 
ure of denial ; but the empress did not appear to pay 
any attention to it. 

“At what hour does his majesty desire to see the 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


291 


president of the court?” demanded Monsieur Moll, 
turning to the king. 

“ But at — at^ — ” stammered the king. 

“At four o’clock this afternoon, Monsieur Moll,” 
interrupted the old sovereign. 


292 


urn ROYAL LOVER. 


CHAPTER XLI. 

THE judge’s anguish. 

The reader has, like ourselves, followed the hope- 
less love of Conrad Haller and Walpurga de Hei- 
ligenthal. 

Madame Haller, who adored her son, could no 
longer support the sight of his chagrin. We know 
how much, even before the debut of this love, she 
was devoured with ambition and had madly wished 
that the king would ennoble her family. Now, that 
this ennobling had become a condition sine qua non 
of her son’s marriage with Mademoiselle de Heili- 
genthal, she pushed to frenzy the desire which she 
had to obtain that honor. 

She was plunged more than ever in this disposi- 
tion of mind, when the secretary of the palace was 
announced. 

It must not be forgotten that the king’s marriage 
had been kept secret, that a very small number of 
persons had any knowledge of it. Monsieur Haller 
knew that Monsieur Klug had just addressed his 
protest to the supreme tribunal, but as he had not 
yet returned since morning, his wife (to whom, 
moreover, he did not relate everything) was still ig- 
norant of the event. 

Hardly had the messenger of the king departed 
before the carriage bringing back Monsieur Haller 
stopped before his door. Madame Haller, very much 
pre-occupied with the message left by the secretary, 
ran to meet her husband. What did they want of 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


293 


him? Had they sent for him to speak to him at last 
about the title of nobility so much desired? 

“ My friend, thou must hasten, for the king ex- 
pects thee at four o’clock precisely, at a private au- 
dience.” 

Monsieur Haller, instead of appearing astonished, 
only said, smiling : 

“Ah ! the king has sent for me?” 

“ Why this enigmatical smile?” 

“But what then? Tell me, then.” 

“Oh, nothing! — nothing,” said Monsieur Haller, 
reticently, hastily seating himself at the table. 

Madame Haller always dismissed the domestic 
during this luncheon. All being prepared upon the 
table, she preferred to serve her husband with her 
own chubby, nlump hands; alone with him, they 
could converse more freely. This day, very much 
puzzled, she was determined to do everything in 
order to learn what the president could be conceal- 
ing from her. 

“Come! tell me all that thou thinkest. Thou 
knowest that I am discreet?” said she, while like a 
practical woman she put upon Monsieur Haller’s 
plate one of the morsels that he preferred. Know- 
ing that after all, the secret, which he desired to 
keep, would soon be known to everybody. Monsieur 
Haller related to his wife the protest that Monsieur 
Klug had entered in the name of Madame de Mine- 
leko. 

Madame Haller made such a gesture of stupefac- 
tion and astonishment that she almost upsefc her 
chair. 

“What dost thou tell me, my friend? But all this 
does not explain why the king wishes to sneak this 
very day to thee. Thou art not an advocate.” 


294 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


“No, but I will be ever so little his judge.” And 
Monsieur Haller, who for some years had suffered 
from the humiliations that his family had received 
at court, had in his voice an intonation of pride so 
pronounced that it did not escape his wife. 

During some minutes both of them remained 
buried in their thoughts. Evidently, if the king had 
sent for Haller, it was to endeavor to dispose him in 
his favor. There was, perhaps, something to be 
made from this situation. This was the thought that 
came to Madame Haller. Her thoughts immediately 
reverted to her son, her handsome, her dear Con- 
rad, now all pale, all disfigured by vexation; her 
Conrad who, throwing his weary head passionately 
on his mother’s lap, had said to her, this very morn- 
ing, that he would end his life if he could not obtain 
the hand of his well-beloved Walpurga! 

Madame Haller knew so well the immense loyalty 
and unalterable integrity of her husband that she 
had a real chill and fever through her whole body 
in thinking upon the ideas which were agitating 
her at this moment. 

To say to Haller : 

“ Promise the king to pronounce a judgment in his 
favor if he will grant thee thy nobility and that of 
thy family,” had been such an outrage to his long 
life of honor and integrity, that she would not have 
attempted it for anything in the world. 

With all the subtlety which belongs to a woman, 
not having the appearance of attaching any import- 
ance to this appeal of the king, she uttered a pro- 
found sigh. 

“What is the matter, my dear?” demanded Hal- 
ler, who adored his wife and son. 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


295 


“ I am completely overcome by Conrad’s condi- 
tion.” 

“Poor boy! What a ridiculous prejudice separates 
him from his happiness.” 

“ Ridiculous, indeed. And to think that one can 
do nothing, absolutely nothing ! unless in the end, 
Walpurga’s family yields, for as to the ennobling, 
it is no longer to be counted upon.” 

Haller, with all the sincerity of his frank nature, 
expressed in the most simple manner and with- 
out any reservation, correctly the idea that his 
wife wished to inculcate in him. 

“What is so horrible,” pursued Madame Haller, 
“is that Doctor Schlotz says that the anaemia which 
commenced to declare itself scarcely three months 
ago, grows frightfully worse ; all the efforts of the 
physician remaining impotent to arrest it. Alas ! to 
have but one son — an only son — and to see him thus 
delivered up to certain death I And Madame Hal- 
ler, always much affected at the thought of losing 
her Conrad, purposely exaggerating his malady, 
wept bitterly. 

“Come! come, my dear!” Haller endeavored to 
speak consolingly, “ do not abandon thyself to de- 
spair! Conrad is young ; if the Heiligenthal family 
remain inexorable, ah well ! we will force him to 
travel, and he will forget.” 

“ Oh ! as for that, never ! thou knowest not Con- 
rad as I, his mother, know him. His is a profound 
nature, he will never forget. His heart is given, he 
will die, if need be, but he will never take it back.” 

“At his age, my dear, the heart is recalled as 
easily as it is given !” 

“ Never ! never | Ah ! if thou hadst seen him, this 


296 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


very morning ! He was whiter than a sheet ; the 
blood seemed to have left even his lips. Where, 
then, are thy eyes, if thou hast not remarked this 
frightful change My God! I see it, this death, 
which slowly but surely will take our Conrad 
from us, if we cannot soon give him the young girl 
whom he loves so much. My friend, thou art intel- 
ligent, thou art strong in thy experience and in thy 
services ; thou must succeed in obtaining the con- 
sent of the Heiligenthal family.” 

“ But thou knowest well that I have done every- 
thing! At present there is nothing to hope.” 

“ I know it, I know it well ! but, however, we must 
try again. Oh! if thou couldst clearly perceive what 
danger hovers over our son!” 

Haller had no need that his wife should make him 
observe all those things. He had, with great anguish, 
remarked each phase of the profound and incurable 
melancholy of Conrad; he was very uneasy about 
it ; sleep and appetite had left him at the same time 
that cheerfulness had disappeared from the heart 
of his well-beloved child. 

“On leaving the palace I will go and find Schlotz,” 
said he, “ and I will speak to him very seriously of 
the voyage that I have in contemplation for Con- 
rad.” 

On saying this, the judge of the supreme tribunal 
arose from the table, embraced his wife, and re- 
tired in his office, where diverse urgent matters de- 
manded his attention. While endeavoring to fix his 
thoughts upon the important affairs intrusted to his 
sagacity. Monsieur Haller could not detach from all 
that which he did the pale and sad vision of Conrad, 
of this only son so superiorly beautiful, the glory, 
and, before his deadly chagriu, the joy of the house. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


297 


My God! if his wife spoke the truth ! If he was to 
lose this child 1 

A hundred times an hour this terrible thought re- 
turned to him, and while thinking of the Heiligen- 
thals, the cause of so much evil, he was furiously 
irritated against these people who should have 
thanked Providence for finding such a match for 
their daughter; for what other suitor would not 
have left her after her brother’s disgrace? while 
Walpurga’s imperious mother, in her stupid pride 
had, since this event, become only more haughty 
and more bitter. 


298 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


CHAPTER XLII. 

A RAY OF HOPE. 

The president was exact. Punctually at four 
o’clock he presented himself before the Empress of 
Hindostan and the King of Thessaly. 

“Your majesty has sent for me. In what can I be 
of service to you?” 

While pronouncing these words the president of 
the supreme tribunal bowed profoundly before their 
majesties; the interview commenced. It was the 
old empress who, according to her custom, spoke for 
her son-in-law. 

“Monsieur le President; you have doubtless re- 
ceived this very day, from Monsieur Klug, the pro- 
test of the Princess of Mineleko against her banish- 
ment from Thessalian territory.” 

“Indeed, your majesty, and, if it is permitted me, 
I must also observe to your majesty that the client 
of Monsieur Klug appears to me to have just cause 
for her complaint, especially if her marriage with 
his majesty the king, my sovereign master, has been 
legally accomplished. Now, if my information is 
correct, nothing is more certain.” 

“Would it be so, even though there was a means 
of finding a way which would interpret a decision 
contrary to the court?” demanded the empress. 

“I regret to be obliged to say to your majesty that 
even at the risk of attracting the disfavor of my sov- 
ereign master, the court can decide nothing only ac- 
cording to positive facts ; the laws of the country 
are explicit. Every marriage is recognized as legal 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


299 


and legitimate when the formalities exacted by the 
code have been complied with. Jurisprudence only 
admits of divorce in very grave and very rare cir- 
cumstances, that, as lawyers, we must scrupulously 
inquire into, without being permitted just to per- 
sonally estimate them.” 

“ And, outside of adultery, what are those circum- 
stances?” 

“ For example, if one of the contracting parties 
had concealed some legal impediments, or had mar- 
ried with irregular papers. But, such is not the 
case, since one of the parties is the king, who, as the 
head of his kingdom, must be acquainted with the 
laws of his country and submit to them, and the 
other party, a princess, ex-ambassadress, whose 
eminent family and antecedents are so well known.” 

‘‘In any case, we demand that the court adjourns 
its decision upon the question of expulsion, and we 
count that it will give us sufficient time to make the 
researches necessary to the winning of our cause.” 

After these words the king and the empress, salut- 
ing Monsieur Haller, gave him to understand that 
the audience was terminated. 

Scarcely had the chief of the supreme tribunal 
gone out than the empress, fastening her angry eyes 
upon her son-in-law, said : 

“ Ah ! well ! are you caught fast enough ? My God ! 
my God ! in what a labyrinth you have cast your- 
self! How will you extricate yourself? I am cu- 
rious to know,” the arrogant old woman scornfully 
said, who, author of the evil, was now constituting 
herself a judge. 

The poor king, not departing from the passive role 
which he had imposed on himself, preserved a re- 
signed silence. 


300 


EEB BOYAL LOVEB. 


The empress, with a superb disdain, shrugged her 
shoulders: 

“ Come ! the only thing which remains to me is 
to seek how I may be able to extricate you from 
this ugly business. Leave me alone an instant. It 
is the hour for the audience that I give to my minis- 
ter; I must compose myself.” 

When Lord Selfish, who had accompanied her 
majesty on this journey entered, he found her so 
pre-occupied that the old and intimate servant ven- 
tured to ask her the cause of it. The empress, so 
strict in all that which touched on the respect due 
to her rank, did not think, however, to be offended 
at this familiarity, which was excusable, moreover, 
by long years of entire devotion. She hesitated, at 
first, to respond to him ; then, knowing that after 
all he was her best adviser, she reconsidered and 
related to him the little hope which remained to her 
since her interview with the judge of the supreme 
court. 

“Nevertheless, your majesty, I catch a glimpse of 
a slight glimmer of hope, in that which you have 
been so kind as to confide to me.” 

“In what? Speak — speak quickly! It is always 
reserved for you, then, to revive my drooping cour- 
age.” 

“ Has not the judge said that the marriage became 
illegal if one of the contracting parties had con- 
cealed some impediments provided for by law, or if 
they married with irregular papers?” 

“Yes, but what are you coming at. For my part, 
I do not see there a circumstance to give occasion 
to hope.” 

“ But, bless me ! it is not so rare a thing to find 
illegalities in actions. A woman born upon the bor- 


EEB BOYAL LOVEB. 


301 


ders of the Black Sea might well have something 
which may not be legal in her papers, then it is so 
far, the Black Sea ! and so uncivilized ! How many 
great Russian lords have had daughters without 
having legitimate wives. 

“But I fear that is not our case.” 

“I also, but one can always look. Your majesty 
has a man at your court. Sir Maurice Stephan, who, 
after numerous sojourns in Caucasus, knows a great 
many eminent personages and also the usages and 
customs of the country. Why not send him for in- 
telligence? Has not your majesty told me that by 
bringing a pressure to bear upon the supreme tri- 
bunal, one might gain time by adjourning the decis- 
ion upon the question of banishment? Then, I would 
observe to your majesty that there is another string 
to your bow. Your majesty has just mentioned the 
president of the tribunal. One cannot foresee to what 
an extent the promise of a decoration or of a title 
might influence his manner of seeing, and incline 
his decision on the side very naturally desired by 
your majesty, and so desirable from all points of 
view. As soon as I leave your majesty I will 
gain all the information I can about Monsieur Hal- 
ler and the other judges, called, like him, to preside 
at the coming trial.” 

“So be it. You are always such an excellent coun- 
selor, my dear Selfish, that I give you full power to 
bring to a happy issue this unfortunate affair. Be- 
sides, nothing will fetter your proceedings, for I 
shall take the king to Hindostan as soon as I shall 
be able. Leave me alone now ; I must collect my 
confused ideas.” And the minister of Hindostan, 
bowing to the ground, left his sovereign. 

The audience with his sovereign terminated, Lord 


302 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


Selfish refiected about that which was to be done. 
After some efforts of reflection he said to himself 
that in order to arrive at the most minute informa- 
tion it is always to the ladies that one must address 
one’s self. He repaired, then, straight to the only one 
with whom he was at all acquainted, to the grand- 
mistress, the crabbed Comtesse de Langweilig. 

Opportunity favored him. It was precisely the 
“ day” of that first lady of the palace. A circle of 
ladies, with visages as faded as their garments, 
seated in a row like onions, surrounded the feminine 
dictator of the residence. Madame de Langweilig 
was dressed in a black silk gown of an ancient cut, 
which had certainly figured in her trousseau and 
which must have been constantly enlarged accord- 
ing as the lady increased in amplitude. She wore 
as a brooch a monumental cameo representing the 
“Three Graces,” from whence a long watch-chain 
depended. It did not depend on her that all the 
pretty women of the residence and elsewhere were 
not hung, without that it had been labor quickly 
done ! She was dictating according to her custom. 
Ah ! bless me ! when “ she” had spoken, no diver- 
gence of opinion could arise ; that would spoil all. 

When Lord Selfish entered the house of Madame 
de Langweilig, there was suddenly a glacial silence. 
They had spoken precisely words more or less am- 
biguous about the king’s marriage with Madame de 
Mineleko and Madame de Langweilig had led them 
to infer that she knew much more than she liked to 
say about that “adventuress.” But, on the arrival 
of the empress’ minister she deemed it prudent to 
change the subject of conversation. 

Lord Selfish was for an instant positively afraid of 
catching himself a portion of the venom which was 


HEIt ROYAL LOVER, 


303 


circulating, there was* so much of it in all these 
mouths. If all the evil that they said of the absent 
ladies had been true, Thessaly had been worse than 
Sodom and Gomorrah. In haste and considerably 
fatigued by all these extremely aristocratic but 
overpowering ladies, to abridge his visit he went 
straight to his object. Scarcely had he mentioned 
the name of Haller than Madame de Langweilig 
and her neighbors had nothing more urgent to do 
than to relate to him the silly but obstinate love 
affair of Walpurga de Heiligenthal with the presi- 
dent’s son. Notwithstanding the disgrace of Wal- 
purga’s brother, we know that the Heiligenthals 
none the less declared that they would never con- 
sent that their daughter should marrj a commoner. 

“And the king,” triumphantly exclaimed Madame 
de Langweilig, “ has too much dignity to ever be 
willing to ennoble President Haller, son of a petty 
merchant married to the daughter of the court 
pharmacist!” 

And this certitude delighted Madame de Lang- 
weilig, who thought with a sigh of her two faded 
flowers, so sadly forsaken, withering upon their 
stems. 

Lord Astucio Selfish had learned enough. Taking 
leave of the son of feminine onions he quickly re- 
turned to the palace and requested another audience 
with her majesty, in order to impart to her his dis- 
covery of the vulnerable point in the president. 

“Ah! Selfish! brave— brave Selfish! how prompt 
and expeditious you are ! Quick, order Haller to 
appear again before me !” 

Lord Selfish had a good deal of trouble to persuade 
her majesty that it would not be diplomatic to act 
SO hastily. Having known, however, since a long 


304 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


time, how it was necessary to proceed to manage 
this tyrannical and despotic character, he succeeded 
in making her have patience. After several days 
only the empress sent for the president. The inter- 
view was short but decisive. The empress said dis- 
tinctly to Monsieur Haller “that she did not wish to 
influence him at all, but that if he should find that 
there was occasion to annul the marriage, and if the 
judgment of the court was such, she would pledge 
her word of honor that the king would elevate him 
to the nobility for his exceptionable services. I have 
learned,” said the sovereign, with a gracious smile, 
“ that if this is realized, all the obstacles to a certain 
thing which you have much at heart will be re- 
moved.” 

Haller, almost offended at the beginning of the in- 
terview, left the empress very solicitous. He hardly 
dared to say to his wife and son that it was in his 
power to give them the supreme happiness which 
would restore them to life. But when he observed 
the countenance of Madame Haller changed by in- 
cessant grief ; when he saw Conrad’s hand so pale, 
and so emaciated, that it appeared transparent 
under the rosy beams of the lamp in the evening, 
when he was distractedly turning the leaves of some 
pamphlet, he felt himself almost criminal, having 
the power to transform the despair of these two 
beings, who were so dear to him, into a delirium of 
happiness, he hesitated to speak. Ah! it is this ter- 
rible interior pincers which rends many skillfully ar- 
ranged plots, conscience was still alive in him al- 
though vacillating. Would he really dare to decide, 
by an indestructible decree, against the life of a 
poor woman so terribly outraged and so unjustly 
punished? 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


305 


But, alas! the struglge between his conscience and 
the love of his family, perhaps even also, in the 
end, his personal ambition, was too unequal to last 
long. More and more nobility, virtue, and magna- 
nimity crumble in him. He wished to believe him- 
self still the honest magistrate, when he was already 
nothing more than the weak husband and father, 
trembling before the menaced life of his son. Van- 
quished in the end, he relates to his family his inter- 
view with the empress. He tells them that he will 
not yield, and while saying so, he feels that he lies, 
he realizes nothing but the passionate cry that is- 
sued from the lips of his only son and which affected 
and struck him like the blade of a poniard plunged 
in the depths of his heart. 

“ My father I my father 1 I shall be happy then !” 

And the son falls in the arms of his mother who 
weeps with joy. And they summon the father, they 
implore him, they tell him that Hajeska Ivanowna 
has been an unworthy woman, that it was she who, 
betrothed to Walpurga’s brother, had cowardly 
abandoned him and had thus created all the mis- 
fortunes of that unfortunate creature, because a 
richer and more illustrious suitor had presenteO him- 
self. In fervent terms they represented to him in 
what manner she must have circumvented, be- 
witched, and enticed the poor feeble king, with the 
object of creating desires which she had always 
known to refuse to gratify, until in the end he had 
yielded and secretly married her. They are here, 
like two advocates of accusation, crushing the pris- 
oner under the weight of their eloquence, a fiery and 
impetuous eloquence, proceeding from the terrible 
passions which agitate them. Who, better than 
they, can vilify and revile her, she without whose 


306 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


mutilated body they would lack the stepping-stone 
which was to elevate them to happiness. They are 
so persuasive that they almost lead the judge to 
share their convictions. 

When they have finished, the fate of Najeska 
Ivanowna is forever decided. 


HEE EOYAL LOVER, 


307 


CHAPTER XLIII. 

THE DUEL. 

While these frightful misfortunes were accumu- 
lating upon the unfortunate Najeska Ivanowna, 
events no less tragical were embracing in their iron 
circle the two men who had so much and so fatally 
loved her. 

One evening, when Waldemar de Heiligenthal 
had returned home at a late hour, his servant 
informed him that since an hour already two gentle- 
man had awaited him. At this apparently very 
simple news, the count, however, became very pale. 
Despite himself, an emotion, similar to that which 
one experiences in the great crises of life, startled 
him greatly. He knew that since two days the 
Prince de Mineleko had achieved his distant mission 
with which his government had purposely charged 
him, in order to remove him from Thessaly 
during the first ebullitions of the rage which after 
the loss of his suit was boiling hot and dangerous 
within him. These gentlemen were certainly sent 
by him. Feeling his throat contract and appre- 
hending weakness at a moment in which energy 
would be most essential to him, he went to a buffet 
and swallowed at one gulp a large glass of Spanish 
wine. 

Arrived in the little study in which the visitors 
had been introduced, he found himself with 
Prince Gariatinski and another secretary of the 
Caucasian Embassy, who were •both to change their 
post, one to rejoin Prince de Mineleko, who was 


308 


HEB BOTAL LOVEB. 


about to depart as Ambassador to Bosnia, the other 
to go as attache to the Embassy at Paris. Prince 
Gariatinski very courteously handed him a note 
sealed with the arms of the Prince de Mineleko. 

This is what he read : 

“Waldemar de Heiligenthal, you have acted like 
a spy and a coward. Although unworthy of cross- 
ing swords with a Prince of Mineleko, who counts 
no less than two Czars of Caucasus among his ances 
tors, I am so eager for vengeance, I have such a 
thirst for your blood, that I declare to you that if 
you refuse to give me satisfaction in meeting me be- 
yond the frontiers of Thessaly, a country to which 
access is forbidden me, I will come even there to 
seek you, to kill you. I would have come already 
months ago if I had been able. 

“ Boris Michailo witch, 

“Prince de Mineleko.” 

One may judge of the fury of Walpurga’s brother. 
If it had not been for the great forbearance of the 
Prince de Mineleko’s two friends a regrettable in- 
cident had certainly taken place. But thanks to 
their tact and moderation, all passed with pro- 
priety. 

“ I shall await at the frontier of Thessaly him who 
has dared to insult me thus, and I will give him 
satisfaction,” said the Count de Heiligenthal. 
“Moreover, I will send to you, my friends; they will 
settle with you about all the details.” 

Two days after, early in the morning, a small 
number of men were approaching in silence a glade 
in the forest of I , situated outside of the Thes- 

salian territory. By their correct and severe bear- 
ing, by their mysterious and serious deportment, 
one might easily comprehend that a capital event 
was preparing. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


309 


The seconds surveyed the ground attentively, 
examined minutely and for the last time the 
weapons of the two adversaries, carefully meas- 
ured the distances from whence they were to fire, 
then the oldest, after having placed the enemies 
back to back, struck the three regulating blows. 
The duel did not last long ; at the given signal the 
Prince de Mineleko advanced. 

At the cry “Fire !” uttered by Gariatinski, a double 
detonation was heard, a light bluish smoke ascended 
like a spire in the air, and a man whose hands beat 
the empty air fell heavily at the feet of his adver- 
sary. It was Boris Michailowitch. Waldemar’s 
ball had pierced his body. At first his friends be- 
lieved him dead, but after having received the first 
cares of the physician who assisted at the combat he 
painfully opened his eyes. 

“I am lost!” he muttered. Already he could 
scarcely speak. 

Heiligenthal, very pale, his lips compressed, was 
regarding the blood which was copiously flowing. 
He was, in his emotion, almost as pale, as weak, as 
he whom he had just wounded unto death. 

Boris Mineleko did not immediately succumb, not- 
withstanding the hemorrh ges and the other acci- 
dents which supervened to aggravate his situation. 
The physician had declared that he would not live 
through the night, but in the morning he was 
breathing still, and found himself, he believed, a 
little better. He could now take some hours of re- 
pose. During the whole night he had not ceased to 
demand the presence of Heiligenthal, who could 
alone tell him something which he desired to know 
before departing this life. He was so vehement in 
his demand that Heiligenthal, very much affected 


310 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


by this death of which he was the cause, promised 
not to depart before having satisfied the prince’s 
desire. 

Toward evening, as Waldemar was walking his 
chamber, Gariatinski came to seek him. 

“I pray you,” said he, “to follow me without losing 
a minute. He is very ill ; he requests to see you in- 
stantly. Come, his moments are numbered, he has 
no more than a few hours to live.” 

Heiligenthal followed Prince Gariatinski through 
the long dull corridors of the hotel, deserted at this 
season of the year. 

Arrived before the door of a chamber Gariatinski 
softly knocked. 

“Enter,” said a voice from the interior. 

It was that of the nurse who was watching Boris 
Michailowitch. Gariatinski and Heiligenthal silently 
entered. 

They suddenly found themselves in an apartment 
which appeared to them, who had left the broad 
daylight, completely obscure. But their eyes grad- 
ually habituated themselves to this penumbra, and 
Heiligenthal soon easily distinguished all the objects 
which surrounded him. 

In an alcove, upon a low, narrow bed, the body of 
a man was extended which he would have taken for 
that of an unknown person, so much was he 
changed, if he had not known that he was really in 
the presence of Boris Michailowitch. 

What had become of the visage full of strength 
and of savage energy? Now, the hollow and emaci- 
ated cheeks, the discolored skin stretched over the 
projecting cheek-bones, the eyes deeply sunken in 
their orbits, rendered this sad and gloomy figure 
almost unrecognizable. 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


311 


Strongly impressed by this ruin which was his 
work, Heiligenthal endeavored to conceal the emo- 
tion which, despite himself, was convulsing his 
whole being. 

“You have asked for me, prince T said he, in a 
stifled voice, while approaching the bed on which 
the dying man was lying. 

Then a strange, weak voice, which he did not 
recognize, responded to him, in a hoarse rattle : 

“Yes, I desire to converse with you while — while 
strength yet remains to me.” 

With his bloodless hand he made a gesture. 
Gariatinski and the nurse, understanding him, re- 
tired. When the two men were alone the voice of 
the dying men resumed : 

“ I desire — I desire to converse with you of a cer- 
tain night in May of the year 188 -, on the morrow of 
which the corpse of my poor Kassan was found 
strangled in my garden. You know that the police 
have never been able to discover the criminal nor to 
raise the least corner of the vail which enshrouds 
this mystery. You, however, perhaps, may be able 
to explain it.” 

And the eyes of the dying man fastened them- 
selves upon Heiligenthal as if he wished to pierce 
him through and through. 

“ That nifi:ht it seemed to me that I had a terrible 
dream. A man had introduced himself in the apart- 
ment of the Princess de Mineleko. You see that my 
moments are numbered. It is a dying man who 
prays you to confess all to him as to a confessor.” 

A terrible cough shook the unfortunate man whom 
these few words had fatigued ; his voice ceased, a 
slight red foam ascended to the corner of his lips, 
then the blood issuing in floods inundated the hand- 


312 


HEB BOYAL LOVEB. 


kerchief that Boris Michailowitch had hastily car- 
ried to his mouth. Heiligenthal shuddered in all his 
being. How quickly the life of a man is taken ! 

At the all-powerful voice of his conscience, com- 
pletely tortured by remorse, at the sincere cry of his 
repentant soul, the young man felt for the first time 
his vile and egotistical instincts dissolve. 

Everybody was acquainted with the king’s mar- 
riage with Najeska Ivanowna; it was not then of 
the wife of the Prince de Mineleko, but only of her 
who had been so, that Heiligenthal would have to 
speak. 

Boris Michailowitch, summoning up all his failing 
strength, continued: 

“ I am convinced now that it was you, and not the 
king, who penetrated to my — to the apartment of 
Madame de Mineleko, and that which I then believed 
to be a dream was a reality.” 

Heiligenthal was silent. Had he desired to speak 
he had not been able, so strong and insurmountable 
was the emotion which compressed his throat. 

“You must recollect how oppressive the evening 
of that day was. During the afternoon I had had a 
terrible neuralgia. The physician had rubbed me 
vigorously with a chloroform mixture. Was the 
dose too powerful? I do not know. I have always 
been a prey to a singular nervous agitation. Al- 
though very strongly under the influence of the 
soporific, it was impossible for me to take a mo- 
ment’s repose. Tortured, palpitating as I was with 
the agony of the most excessive jealousy, my entire 
thought was concentrated upon the love that the 
king was openly evincing for my young wife, and 
aside from this fixed idea my mind was incapable of 
thinking. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


313 


“ The heat was intense, the rarefied air was in- 
sufficient for my oppressed lungs. Some heavy 
black clouds were amassing in the sky which was 
becoming more and more threatening. Under this 
leaden atmosphere a lethargic sleep gradually in- 
vaded me. Not yet knowing whether I was awake 
or asleep, I believed however, that I heard near me 
a dull and persistent noise. Was it real or did it 
belong to the dream that I had, and from which it 
snatched me? 

“To this noise a deep sigh succeeded, then a 
species of a rattle. I could not budge. My legs, as 
though paralyzed, could no longer move ; my body 
no longer obeyed my will, but nevertheless I was 
not insensible to physical pain, for I felt the neu- 
ralgia still torturing me. Notwithstanding the 
heaviness of my limbs, I believed that death was 
transporting me to unknown spheres, that I was dy- 
ing in space. My whole being seemed vibrating 
with a peculiar electricity. When, by an extra- 
ordinary effort, I succeeded in opening my eyes, 
I had no idea of the objects upon which they 
rested. All that which remained living within me 
belonged only to this surprising spiritual life which 
possessed me. A cold sweat like that of the 
greatest terror was breaking out on my forehead ; 
my heart was beating to bursting, as though I 
was afraid. And the dull, sharp noise was still 
persisting. Becoming more and more awake, I 
perceived that this noise, that I believed to be 
that of my heart, belonged rather to another 
being who seemed to be dragging himself painfully 
near me. I thought I heard a voice which called 
me— that of the princess. I made a new effort to 
rise ; useless effort ; an immense weight ng^iled me 


314 


MER ROYAL LOVER. 


to my place. Nevertheless in the end, seized with a 
furious rage, I succeeded in it. By an automatic 
movement, seizing a candle, I opened the door of 
my chamber. At the same moment a body, that of 
a man, was hastily disappearing by the window at 
the extremity of the passage which opened upon the 
garden. I advanced as rapidly as the vertigo which 
had not yet left me permitted, but arrived at the 
window at the moment where, raising my light, I 
was going perhaps to perceive the fugitive and 
recognize him, the wind rushing in the corridor, 
plunged me in profound obscurity. ‘It is the king!’ 
I said to myself ; ‘it is the king T Completely awake, 
I wished to go to my wife’s chamber. But a sudden 
weariness seizing me, I was obliged gropingly to 
regain my apartment, where I only had time to 
fall an inert mass upon my bed. The next morning 
my faithful Vassili came to inform me of the murder 
of his brother. I comprehended all ; I had not only 
dreamed then, there was reality, terrible reality, in 
this dream. And now, tell me, Waldemar de Heilig- 
enthal, as if you were in the presence of God, you 
or my wife, which of you, has been the murderer of 
Kassan? for one of you or both of you together must 
have killed him.” 

This long recital had completely exhausted Min- 
eleko. It had been necessary for him to make the 
most unheard of efforts of an iron will to arrive at 
the end, and interminable halts, occasioned by 
weakness or paroxysms of coughing, had often 
interrupted him. Heiligenthal had listened in ab- 
solute silence. 

For some moments Boris Michailowitch had 
ceased to speak, and Waldemar still hesitated to 
respond to the questions that the interrogating 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


315 


eyes of the invalid put to him. An interior combat 
was furiously fought in his soul, his pallor became 
deadly. Should he let the ex-ambassador die with- 
out learning this terrible secret? At last, making a 
violent effort : 

“Prince,” said he, “I must tell you the truth; I 
will tell you the whole truth. This man, who had 
introduced himself that night in your wife’s apart- 
ment, you have divined him, it was I!” 

A paroxysm of the old passion lulled to sleep 
seemed to vibrate again the almost extinguished 
pupils of the dying man. Like a tiger wounded by 
the hunter’s arrow, he endeavored, in spite of death, 
which was already encompassing him with its im- 
penetrable wings, to arise again to overthrow his 
enemy ; his strength abandoned him. 

“That miserable woman has betrayed me then! 
She was your mistress!” 

“Stop! do not blaspheme!” cried Heiligenthal, 
moved by the majesty of the duty which he had to 
fulfill. There was but one criminal, but one coward. 
That criminal, that coward, is here before you 
Prince of Mineleko, him whom you perceived, the 
murderer of Kassan. It was I, and upon the Saviour’s 
cross, upon my head, I swear it to you, she is inno- 
cent! Ah! do not look at me with such horror. 
Yes, I have been vile, criminal, but if you knew to 
what an extent I have repented, although having 
escaped the law, even you would feel pity. Ah! let 
me speak, and do not interrupt me. 

“Your wife obstinately refused to receive me 
alone, but desperate with passion I was determined 
whatsoever might happen to possess her. No matter 
at what price, she was necessary to me. But she 
whose love had been so great when we were 


316 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


affianced, was then a slave to her sworn faith, and 
resolute to remain forever faithful to the husband 
whose name she was so worthily bearing. 

“ Several times I had passionately requested her 
to grant me a rendezvous, but inexorable, she had 
rejected my prayers. Not knowing how to subdue 
the ardor of my desires, nor to imitate the example 
of that noble and pure creature, I did not hesitate to 
employ the only means which remained to me ; that 
which I have not been able to obtain by persuasion 
I will obtain by force and subterfuge, I said to 
myself. I sounded Glascha. With some money I 
made quick work of her pretended scruples. Toward 
the middle of that terrible night she admitted me 
to the garden by the little priest’s door which you 
know of. With some wax she had taken the im- 
pression of the key which remained during the day 
in that entrance, and had a similar one made, so 
that I might make use of it to depart. All were 
asleep in the palace of the embassy. Glascha and 
I, both equally vile, advanced in silence, retaining 
our breath, and, like venomous beasts, crawling in 
darkness. For a moment I almost wished to retire, 
but Glascha had informed me that you had taken a 
potion in order to sleep, and assured me that you 
would hear nothing. Without shoes on our feet in 
order to avoid the slightest noise, we arrived at the 
dressing-room of the princess. This dressing-room 
was only rarely locked with a key ; you traversed it 
in order to enter your wife’s apartment, this girl 
had told me. ‘Remain here, crouched behind this 
tall Pysche,’ whispered she to me. I obeyed, and 
she left me. Som.e instants after I heard steps 
which were approaching ; it was the princess, who 
came to make her toilet for the night. Her hair, 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


317 


unconfined, was falling over her pearly shoulders, 
the lace dressing-gown which enveloped her per- 
mitted you to see the curves of her beautiful waxen 
body. She was divinely beautiful, desperately 
tempting. Still immovable there where Glascha 
had placed me, she could not at first perceive me. 
Suddenly, I appeared to her. Frightened at first, 
she quickly recovered herself, and gave proof of 
great presence of mind. She did not utter a cry — 
not the semblance of one. She arose supple and 
nervous like a panther ready to spring upon its 
prey. Her indignation was so terrible that I shiv- 
ered to the marrow of my bones. Approaching me, 
pale, terrible, in her wrath: 

“ I command you to depart !” — hissed she. “ I chase 
you like a dog as you are, worse than that, like a 
varlet!” She was so resolved, so quick, and such a 
fire flashed from her dilated pupils, that she seemed 
to transform into a flaming sword the infamy of my 
actions, and to imprint them there upon my brow 
like an indelible mark. I endeavored to move her, 
but she wailed always the same words : “ Coward ! 
Wretch! Depart! Begone!” She was so beautified 
in her chaste wrath, that my desires no longer knew 
any limits ; forgetting all, I seized her in my eager 
arms. Who knows how far the insanity of my 
passion would have pushed me, but, bounding back- 
ward like a crouching she-wolf, collecting herself in 
order to spring upon her prey, she rushed toward 
the chimney. A Russian cutlass was lying there ; 
she seized it, and, with her frail nervous hand she 
plunged it violently into me in the flrst place which 
presented itself to her blows. I was struck in the 
shoulder. Although the wound was only a scratch, 
the pain which I felt drew a cry from me, and the 


3t8 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


blood flowed. At the same time Najeska Ivanowna, 
profiting by my weakness, violently pushed me 
toward the door, opened it, and threw me out. 
Then, as I heard her violently push the bolts, the 
two hands of a man who suddenly sprang before 
me in the total obscurity of the passage seized me. 
Dismayed, not rendering an account of that which I 
was doing nor with whom I had to deal, so great 
was my nervous excitement, with superhuman 
strength, in order to prevent him from crying, I 
grasped the man by the throat. With my hands, 
become two pincers, I squeezed it, I squeezed it 
with all my strength ! Not a sigh, not a rattle could 
proceed from his mouth. But, even in the obscurity, 
I saw the glistening of two round terrified, fright- 
ened eyes, which were projecting more and more 
from their sockets as my pressure was sinking 
deeper and deeper. I have never felt a sensation so 
bestial. His body stirred, writhed under the heat 
of mine. Then, suddenly, nothing more — nothing! 
he stirred no more. I had a terrible moment of 
terror, there in that gloomy passage, alone with that 
corpse. It was impossible for me to leave it before 
the princess’ door. The only luminous point was 
the light from the window at the end of the corridor. 
It was necessary to drag the body there and to 
hastily throw it not, in order that they might be- 
lieve it an accident or a suicide; but despite the 
over-excitement which increased my strength ten- 
fold, my arms almost broke under the burden of 
that body. 

“By dint of superhuman efforts, I succeeded, 
however, in arriving at the window. My head and 
my heart were in such an effervescence that the in- 
stinct of the beast alone guided me. Suddenly, I 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


319 


heard a movement in the chamber which I knew to 
be yours. Terrified, dismayed, excited, realizing 
that there was not a moment to lose, I threw the 
corpse outside. The horrible and dull sound of its 
heavy fall gave me the most frightful chill that I 
have ever experienced ! But, I had no time to define 
my sensation, for the door of your chamber opened. 
Electrified by the danger that I was incurring, I 
precipitated myself after it. That was a second of 
terrible agony in which I was revolving in space ; 
but by a miracle of heaven, notwithstanding the 
height of the window and thanks to the turf on 
which I fell, I was not injured, not even a sprain ! 

“You approached the window by which I had just 
disappeared, I saw you, but you did not see me. 
Your staring eves were looking into space. You 
say yourself a gust of wind extinguished your 
light. That was my salvation. I profited by that 
instant of obscurity to escape, running with 
prodigious rapidity. Making use of the key that 
the maid had given me, I went out of the garden. 
All the chances favored me that evening, for, 
hardly had I arrived, exhausted, at home, than a 
storm of rain and hail burst forth which literally 
inundated the earth. This storm would surely efface 
the imprint of my footsteps in your garden. 

“During the first days which followed, not know- 
ing how much the princess knew about that which 
had happened, I trembled lest she might speak, if 
not of the murder, at least of my nocturnal visit. 
What courage was necessary for me to join the 
royal picnic the day afterward, you would not be 
able to believe; and if I repaired thither, it was 
because I had no other means of approaching and 
sounding the princess upon how much she knew of 


320 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


the assassin, and if she was ignorant that it was I. 
I was not long in comprehending that, having heard 
nothing, only doubtless, a smoothered noise in the 
corridor, terrified she had remained shut up, be: 
lieving me caught by her husband and fearing to 
aggravate the situation by showing herself ; thus, 
knowing nothing positive, she had, like everybody, 
suspected you — you, rather than I. 

“If, on the day of the picnic, I attracted your 
attention to the officiousness of the king with the 
ambassadress, it was under the impulse of a fero- 
cious jealousy, but there was also mingled with 
it a diabolical calculation; the hope of removing 
from you all idea that I was paying attention to 
Madame de Mineleko, and to prevent your suspicions 
on the subject of the nocturnal visitor falling upon 
me. 

“ The princess had driven me out like a dog. I 
said to myself that it was because she loved the 
king. If she repulsed me thus, she should not give 
herself to another, and I would prevent it at any 
price ! It was in this state of mind, in this ebullition 
of furious jealousy, that I announced to you the 
assignation in the Parc-aux-Cerfs. 

“You see, I take my heart from my breast and 
lay it there, bare ; before you, in all its hideousness ! 
Ah ! when one is not a hardened, obdurate criminal 
by profession, no chastisement of the law is equal 
to the secret torture which gnaws you. Even the 
powerful pen of Shakespeare, depicting the delirium 
of Macbeth after the murder of Banquo does not 
attain to the intensity of the overwhelming sensa- 
tions alternately of terror and of hope, which make 
the chills constantly run over you, even to the roots 
of your hair ! One is damned, damned forever ! No 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


321 


longer a single instant of peace ; no longer an hour 
of sleep! Always the cold sweat of terror pene- 
trating even to your entrails. At the lightest step 
which treads the soil, at the least sound of the bell, 
one would like to conceal one’s self, to disappear. 
Before the most candid, the most indifferent regard, 
one trembles. When a door rattles, when a mouth 
opens to speak, one has a shock. Ah! to escape 
from this hideous remorse, one would like to flee to 
stupefy one’s self! But though one may go to the 
uttermost parts of the earth, it follows you every- 
where, because it is a part of yourself! And one 
continues to live, with this slender poniard plunged 
in his wound, and keeping the wound always 
bleeding. One feels that reason will at last es- 
cape, in such a collapse of the mental equilibrium. 
Half-mad, one contemplates suicide ; but the honor 
of disappearing in the tomb pursued by your crime 
restrains you. Ah ! it is a solace to cry out all this 
to some one who can denounce you, seize you, 
malignant and criminal beast, and make the law 
and mankind overwhelm you, crush you, in order 
that this remorse which agitates and devours you^ 
may be extinguished, and annihilated at last in 
the bloody debris that the basket of the guillotine 
bears away!” 

Heiligenthal could not finish. As he was speak- 
ing Mineleko, suddenly endeavored, convulsively, to 
arise while uttering a rattle : “ I suffocate — I ” 

He could not even complete this sentence. A 
lacerating cough strangled him, then a stream of 
blood, at first quite slender, escaped from his lips 
and saturated his shirt. Then this stream increas- 
ing, flowing from his mouth like a bubbling spring, 
became a torrent. Heiligenthal ran to the bell. At 


322 


HEU ROYAL LOVER. 


the first summons, they came. Mineleko was rat- 
tling, choking, struggling with death. It was fright- 
ful, but animated, however, by a breath of avenging 
hate, he still essayed to make himself understood : 
“The king, the king,” he muttered, and delirium 
commenced, doubtless carrying him back to the cruel 
and restless days which he had passed in the con- 
viction of the king’s love for his wife. 

Thus was extinguished in a violent death this 
man of a passionate and savage nature. 


BEE EOTAL LOVEE. 


323 


CHAPTER XLIV. 
najeska’s reflections. 

In the convent, the days were passing slowly and 
despairingly for the unhappy Najeska Ivanowna, 
who was not ignorant of the events which were 
agitating the Thessalian Court. Glascha, who had 
been in her service since her sixteenth year, had 
left her almost as soon as she arrived at the convent. 
Although the Prince of hTarish had saved this 
creature from the poverty wherein she was 
stagnating she had not hesitated to abandon her 
exiled and sick mistress. 

The cold, produced by her journey from which 
Xajeska Ivanowna had suffered since her arrival 
at the monastery, kept her continually confined to 
her chamber, and to the acute pains that the rarefied 
air of those high altitudes was producing in her 
chest, to the numberless anxieties which were 
assailing her despite the thick walls behind 
which she had taken refuge, a new apprehension 
had come to add itself. 

A new misfortune which she dared not confess to 
herself had startled her in the most secret recesses 
of her being. Her feminine instinct, her mother’s 
heart, felt stirring in her bosom the dear little 
creature to which she would give birth. This infant, 
that of the ungrateful king, of a father without 
justice, she loved already. 

Her child ! this one, like her dear little daughters, 
belonged to her — to her alone. Among these three 
little beings, under the special protection of the 


324 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


God of the afflicted, of the unfortunate, what could 
she still have to fear from the malignity of men? 

Now that her maternal duties were augmenting, 
she desired to live— to live resigned in the midst of 
her torments, happy in spite of her afflictions. Her 
children would be hereafter her only happiness, her 
only joy, her only loves, with them ; through them 
some happy and beautiful days were yet preparing 
for this unfortunate creature that a great infamy 
had wounded in such a harsh, and unmerited 
manner. 

The compassionate hearts of the good nuns were 
moved by so many outrages, so much injustice. 
These women, severe themselves, contenting them- 
selves with so little, living on almost nothing, be- 
came tender and ingenious for this frail and fragile 
creature. In this austere convent, a cheerful, al- 
most coquettish chamber, was discovered and orna- 
mented, a comparative comfort was lavished on this 
young woman, whose delicate health was giving 
some anxiety to these recluses, became her com- 
panions, her friends. 

So many attentions, so much tender pity were 
somewhat elevating to the discouraged soul of the 
Princess de Mineleko, but despite her promises to 
herself, despite her will to maintain them, long 
hours passed still sad and desolate by her solitar}^ 
and dull fireside. 

The bitter sentiments which traversed the rank- 
ling heart of this woman so cruelly and so cowardly 
wounded, were not those which may be surmounted 
in a day. This great infamy which is called life, 
had made in the soul of this sweet and gentle flower 
a wound that nothing could be ever heal. 

While reanimating with her icy hands the fire 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


325 


which was often extinguished for want of fuel, she 
evoked all the phases of her existence, from her 
most tender infancy until now. She evoked in her 
sorrowful reveries the remembrance of that old 
solitary chateau in which the charming years of her 
childhood had flown, by that solitary and boisterous 
sea which bathes the meridianal coast of Caucasus, 
from Lake Bournasol to Saint Nicholas. 

She saw again these low and sandy shores, and 
the black, thick fogs. With what delight she re- 
called those winter evenings passed in a very snug, 
a very warm room, between her good old govern- 
esses, who alternately read to her an interesting or 
merry tale, and her father, her well-beloved father, 
who read his journal. This father, this good father, 
the only man to whom a really serious and dear tie 
had united her, who had done everything to render 
her happy and by whom, through a nameless 
fatality, she owed the misfortune of her life! Ah! 
in the depths of his tomb, who shall say that his 
shade was not awakened by the tears and the sobs 
of this adored daughter ! 

How peaceful and happy was the interior of this 
old house wherein she had seen the light of day ! 
She heard them, these violent winds which in 
winter, roar with rage and raise these black and 
sudden tempests which alight so unexpectedly upon 
this sea which they have baptized with their name— 
the Black Sea ! What an amusement for her, heed- 
less of misfortune and of suffering of which she was 
then ignorant, when by severe frost those great 
sheets of frozen water were extended, upon which 
elegant couples of skaters were gayly and rapidly 
gliding. 

Yes, she was seeing all that again; this rugged 


326 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


country, these vast steppes, these solitary endless 
verstes where, mounted upon a fiery courser, she 
galloped entire hours, letting the sharp north winds 
of the sea whip her face. And then that vast 
chamber in which she slept, in a soft, warm nest 
placed near to that of her father. Every morning, 
she said her first prayer in the arms of this man 
who had so tenderly sheltered her infancy; then 
later, she had been separated from this loving 
heart and united to two wretches, one, jealous and 
morose, the other, weak and unworthy that the 
happiness and the fortune of a woman should be 
confided to him. Najeska Ivanowna, desiring to 
shake off those remembrances which were besetting 
her, bravely endeavored to occupy herself with her 
charming babies. 

She was now no longer rich, and with the advo- 
cates whom she would have to pay, it was neces- 
sary to think of sufficing with a very little ; so she 
undertook all the necessary needlework for these 
dear little beings. 

She commenced by cutting the garments of which 
they would have need, and gave herself, like a 
laborer, a regular task for each day. Thus her ideas 
would wander less, she would become calmer; for 
she realized perfectly that by constant thinking she 
would become insane. Then, obstinately determined 
to counteract it, she seated herself in her easy-chair, 
and, bending her adorable head over her work, she 
resolutely commenced. 

Butthemoie she buried her needle in the light 
material, the more hei* recollections were concen- 
trated upon the last weeks, upon the unpardonable 
outrage of which she had been the victim. Then, 
her languishing fingers were scarcely able to draw 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


327 


her tread. Silently, great tears fell like pearls upon 
the fine linen which she desired to convert into 
pretty robes. She endeavored to restrain those in 
her “translucent sapphires,” as the king had baptized 
her eyes, in that happy time in which she had be- 
lieved in his love ; but the greater was the effort, the 
more imperiously and abundantly the tears escaped. 
First one rolled, then two, then others, then others 
yet again, then continuously until this fragile and 
nervous lady was shaken in a paroxysm of weeping. 

In such a paroxysm, the work glided from her lap 
to the fioor ; she concealed her head in her handker- 
chief, which was soon completely soaked by a del- 
uge of tears. When a sister or one of the nurses 
entered, she immediately arose, and, turning her 
head, she endeavored to appear occupied in search- 
ing in a drawer for an article not to be found ; for 
the unfortiHiate creature had the modesty of the 
unmerited shame and suffering that the king had 
suffered to fall upon her. 

In her immense chagrin, this proud and delicate 
soul was reserved ; she kept it heroically to herself 
alone. 

However, M. Klug did not write. What was oc- 
curring then? “Alas!” said she bitterly to herself, 
“this struggle will be that of the porcelain pot 
against the iron one, this lawsuit that my advocates 
have induced me to attempt against the king, will 
crush me ; I must succumb under its weight ! What 
satisfaction, indeed, is there to be obtained from this 
frightful comedy, more or less good, to cast a little 
dust into the eyes of the world! Ah! the poor 
creature who has had faith in the word of her 
sovereign, will be broken like a glass, I feel it but 
too well ! But, however, it is impossible that the 


328 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


law is not a protection for me as it is for others! 
Wherefore two weights, two measures? My rights 
as a wife are there ; they must be maintained, re- 
spected! Whether my husband be a king or a 
simple mortal, no one will admit that, without any 
motive, unless that of pusillanimity, he may drive 
me from his residence, on the very night of our 
union. If he could do so with impunity what differ- 
ence would there be between the guilty woman and 
she who has remained pure and innocent? Oh! all 
that there is in me of pride and of dignity revolts at 
this remembrance ; the hearts of honest people will 
be stirred with indignation at the recital of so many 
unmerited misfortunes, they will be moved at the 
spectacle of so much hate, and my cause will be 
gained. Besides, I have faith in the merits, in the 
talents of my defenders. M. Klug has told me : “ If 
there is justice in Thessaly,” that justice will be for 
me ! “ My marriage is a fact as legal as loyal ; the 

truth will easily come to light. Back of this demand 
for a divorce, the plot of the frightful snare extended 
to the weakness of the king will suddenly 
pierce through all, and my triumph will be more the 
brilliant for having been deferred.” 

Poor, poor creature ! All this reasoning is only 
too true; but against whom is she struggling? 
Who are her adversaries? A king! sovereign 
of the court where the contest was to be un- 
folded, sovereign of the country where her cause 
was to be judged ! But the unhappy creature was 
then ignorant in the sincerity of her soul that if 
justice has something of the holy of the sublime, 
nothing is more common or more terrible than the 
ambitions, the vanities, the platitudes of those men 
who, often, possess nothing of justice but their 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


329 


name of “judges.” In many cases, politics, the de- 
sire of attaining to power, to crush a rival, are the 
only motives of those beings to whom society con- 
fides the fate of so many afflicted people who hope 
in them, and whom they suffer to be crushed with 
impunity, with cynical indifference ! 

And then, what would not be done to attract the 
good graces of that old fury, the Empress of Hindo- 
stan. The latter in operating secretly, acts only the 
more surely ; she is to be feared, very much to be 
feared, this indefatigable instigator to whom all 
were obedient, without love, but with invincible 
terror. Was not su.ch an enemy enough, and was 
more necessary to break this feeble reed, so often 
agitated by the storm of passions and of hate? 

So many interior combats, conflicting thoughts, 
of hopes followed by discouragements, were wasting 
and undermining poor Najeska Ivanowna. En- 
dowed if we may so express it, with second sight, 
she divined the horrible end from which nothing 
could save her, and then, like a lamb under the ax 
ready to strike, she let painfully fall her head emaci- 
ated by suffering, but rendered yet more beautiful 
by resignation. Her heart, swollen with bitter 
sorrows, broken by so many unjust blows, found at 
last a little calm in the abundant tears which she 
shed in solitude, in abandonment. 


330 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


CHAPTER XLV. 

A woman’s faith. 

One morning, while reading a journal which 
entered the doors of the austere residence, for her 
alone, suddenly she arose frightened; a terrible 
trembling took possession of her whole frame ; she 
hastily threw aside the public journal, uttered a 
heart-rending cry and fell at the feet of a nun, her 
sister in sacrifices, who was with her at that mo- 
ment. What event can then have affected to such 
an extent this poor young woman, upon whom every 
affliction, every misfortune seemed, however, to fall 
without intermission ! 

Sister Marie, despite the indifference which she 
had sworn to everything in this world, cast an un- 
easy glance upon the “Nonvelliste.” She read with 
stupor these few lines, which sufficed to explain the 
emotion of the poor recluse : 

“A duel to the death has just taken place near H — 
upon the frontier of Thessaly. The two adversaries, 
sworn enemies, were the Prince de Mineleko and 
the Count de Heiligenthal. The issue of the combat 
was not doubtful ; the hate of these two men was 
such that one of them had to remain upon the field. 
It was the Ex- Ambassador of Cancasus. Struck by 
a ball which pierced his body, he expired cursing 
the princess, his wife, for the coquetting through 
which she had so often exposed his life.” 

New and wicked outrage! Shameless lie! We 
know that, in this statement, one fact alone was 
true ; the death of Boris Michailo witch de Mineleko. 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


331 


This unforeseen and unexpected news struck the 
unfortunate Najeska Ivanowna to the heart. Ke- 
covered from a long swoon, she remained during 
some hours in a frightfully weak state. 

Bitter reflections assailed her. “Perhaps,” she 
said to herself, “that if she had frankly confessed 
10 her husband the nocturnal visit of Heiligenthal,” 
that which she had not done precisely in order to 
avoid a denouement such as that which had just 
taken place, and also because the murder once ac- 
complished she could not compromise the life of 
Heiligenthal, who, after all, had been her flist lover, 
nothing of all that would have occurred. 

She would have, perhaps, momentarily van- 
quished the ferocious jealousy of her husband by 
her frankness, and would have proved her inno- 
cence to him. Ah! how the prince had looked at 
the blood which had flown upon the marble from 
the slight wound which she had inflicted upon 
Heiligenthal. 

On the other hand, at the time of the murder 
and even at present, she did not cease to ask herself 
who had killed Kassan, for she knew nothing of the 
tragical confession that the count had made to the 
prince. ‘But what is to be will be,’ said this super- 
stitious nature to herself. The prophecy made by 
the Bohemian in regard to that crown which eluded 
her even at the moment wherein she was putting it 
on, could not fail to be accomplished. After the 
death of the prince Najeska Ivanowna asked her- 
self what new misfortune would still befall her. 
This valiant nature, for whom afflictions had not 
yet ended was anticipating everything. At this 
certitude of being forever devoted to misfortune, 
that the death of the prince confirmed, a more in- 


332 


HER ROYAL LOVER, 


tense pallor than ordinary exerted itself over the 
charming features already so faded of this poor 
martyr, who was to preserve the stigma until the 
day when, delivered at last from the cares and the 
tribulations of this mortal life, the Princess de 
Mineloko would surrender to earth her remains so 
tortured, so mortified, by every sacrifice. But let 
us not anticipate. 

Does misfortune ever come singly? Oh, no; thus, 
in a few days after having learned in such a terrible 
manner of the death of him who had been her hus- 
band, the father of her dear and beloved little 
daughters, the courier brought her rather discour- 
aging letters in regard to the issue of her suit. The 
king, her advocates stated, wished to dissolve their 
union, because he had been “duped.” That was the 
only allegation which he could advance, for, in 
spite of the unheard of efforts of the old empress. 
Sir Maurice Stephan had not been able in Caucasus, 
whither he had been dispatched, to discover any- 
thing illicit on the part of the princess nor on that 
of her ancestors. All his devoted and interested re- 
searches remained unfruitful, but without that 
serving in anywise the cause of the accused. 

M. Klug wrote in these terms to his client : 

“Notwithstanding all the pain which I experience 
for your innocence so palpable, and for outraged 
justice, I regret to announce to you, Madame la 
Princess, that but little hope remains to me as to 
the issue too well foreseen of your suit. It is no 
longer in the face of justice that we find ourselves, 
but opposed alone to the power of might which 
crushes us. Come what may I will struggle, and I 
will strugp-le to the end. Rely upon my devotion 
which you have entirely acquired.” 

This opinion only served to confirm Najeska 


HEH UOYAL LOVER. 


333 


Ivanowna in the presentiments which were beset- 
ting her and undermining more and more her 
broken constitution. 

Some days after she received, to her great sur- 
prise, a visit from M. Klug. As this celebrated man 
did not absent himself only on very great occa- 
sions, she was chilled to the heart when he was 
announced. 

Alas! she had only too much reason. M. Klug, 
not daring to confide such bad news to a written 
message, wishing to extenuate the frightful shock 
by communicating it to her with every possible 
precaution, had come to acquaint her with the 
worst, that is to say the annulment of her marriage 
with the king. He took a poignant interest in this 
victim so gentle, so resigned, and so beautiful; he 
was almost as astounded as she by this verdict so 
unexpected, so iniquitous, rendered by the judges. 

When Najeska Ivanowna noiselessly entered the 
chamber like a pale ghost which glides the old 
advocate was very much struck by the great 
change that those few weeks had wrought in her. 
He believed he saw the specter of that which had 
formerly been her, when this woman, so pale, in a 
long dressing-gown of mourning, appeared in the 
twilight of this somber cell. His old hardened heart 
beat so violently when he imparted this new mis- 
fortune to her, that he was astonished at the 
gloomy resignation with which she listened to him 
without interrupting him. 

“The opinion of the judges, madam,” said M. 
Klug, “has been much discussed. It was only the 
preponderating voice of President Haller, an all- 
powerful voice, which has decided your sad des- 
tiny.” 


334 


MER ROYAL LOVER. 


Najeska Ivanowna was still silent. Her two little 
hands alone, frozen anew, like two snow-balls which 
were interlaced in each other, displayed the emotion 
which was undermining and lacerating her. The 
last word uttered by M. Klug on taking leave of 
her, was a ray of light for the princess. 

“Notwithstanding that it is painful to me to men- 
tion the name of Heiligenthal in your presence,” 
he had said, “since it is Count Waldemar who has 
killed Prince de Mineleko in a duel (this young 
man, moreover, has since disappeared, arid no one 
has been able to discover a vestige of him), a piece 
of news which I learned at the residence will per- 
haps have some interest for you, Madame la Prin- 
cess. The Heiligenthal family have at last con- 
sented to their daughter’s engagement with young 
Haller, son of the President of the Tribunal, whom 
the king has just elevated to the nobility in recom- 
pense of his long and faithful services.” 

The ironical intonation with which Klug pro- 
nounced these last words did not escape Najeska 
Ivanowna. It was because he had pronounced 
against her that her enemies had elevated him so 
high. 

When Klug had departed she did not shed a tear, 
she evinced no visible grief. She was petrified, 
almost stupefied. Ah ! if she had only been able to 
dissipate this enormous weight, which was oppress- 
ing her heart, in heart-rending sobs. But nothing 
nothing! Not a word, not a cry. Only profound 
sighs were exhaled, one after the other, from her 
broken heart. 

The comedy in this whole contest was visible, 
hideous. One really remains stupefied at the thought 
that such a deed could be produced in full view of 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


335 


this nineteenth century. However, is not this if 
ever the era of justice? But boast, whatsoever we 
may do as long as humanity exists it will always be 
thus. 

This last blow was the last drop for poor Najeska 
Ivanowna. Feeling herself abandoned, rejected by 
cruel and unjust men, she turned her eyes toward 
the Consoler of the afflicted, the Support of the 
feeble. The cup being too full, the unhappy creature 
thought of pouring it in the heart of one of these 
confidants that the church strews with such a 
touching pity upon the road of the afflicted. She 
comprehended at last that terrestrial existence is 
only a painful labor which must be accomplished in 
order to merit a more perfect state. The loss of her 
first husband, the denouement of her suit she be- 
lieved to be her last misfortunes. 

“My sister,” said she, “my sister, I would like to 
see a confessor. All that which was dear to me in 
life crumbles around me. Alone more than ever, I 
long for death, but not before having learned to 
love my enemies, and to pardon them.” Although 
since several weeks, incessantly harassed, without 
ever enjoying a single instant of relaxation, her soul 
was not embittered, so much spirituality she pre- 
served within her from whence fiowed the scintilla- 
tion of a future existence. 

The nun, frightened and affected by so much des- 
pairing resignation, endeavored to revive the de- 
jected spirit of the unfortunate woman ; her words 
fell like a gentle dew, drop by drop, upon this grief- 
stricken soul, but in vain. 

Surrendering to the uneasy desires of the poor 
invalid, she called the confessor so ardently desired, 
so hoped for. 


336 


heu royal lover. 


By a happy privilege of Heaven, almost for once 
to this poor unfortunate, he was one of those priests 
too rare, alas! gentle and merciful. This man, 
whose race, like the good in all things, seems to be 
extinguished, remained a long time with his penitent ; 
the unction of his indulgent and compassionate 
language fortified this fainting soul, to which only a 
little love had been necessary to attach it anew to 
existence. 

But life seemed to retire gradually from this body 
so enfeebled, her health changed day by day. 
Crushed by disquietude, sleep obstinately fled from 
her poor eyes swollen by tears. 

The months, however, were flowing ; thus, like the 
grief in her soul, winter was gradually invading the 
earth. Hitherto the luxuriant vegetation of the 
environing hills had lent some gayety to the retreat, 
wherein Najeska Ivanowna had come to bury her 
shame and her outrage. How this immense park, 
surrounded by thick and high walls, offered nothing 
but a dismal spectacle. The long avenues, so shady 
still, since some days now have presented nothing 
but the aspect of a forest of trees with long branches 
despoiled of their leaves, and which appear like so 
many skeletons raising their arms toward Heaven 
to demand the aid and succor for this nature that 
death seems to embrace. 

It is in one of these somber and long alleys that 
Najeska Ivanowna loves to come and lose herself. 
In this solitude where the icy wind somewhat re- 
freshed her brow, burning with fever, in the pro- 
found quietude of these woods with their trees half 
denuded by autumn, where sometimes in the great 
silence, according to the sublime expression of 
Byron, “ the winds even retained their breath,” she 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


337 


loved to wander, and the pungent odors of the soil 
seemed to invigorate her sorrow-stricken soul. 

She could not sleep during the night, when the 
winds were howling dolefully through the battle- 
ments of the old abbey ; so, worn by grief, enfeebled 
by torments, she came to these retired places to 
woo and enjoy here a repose absent during long 
hours of insomnia, having for her couch a solitary 
bench and the sky for a canopy. 

One afternoon she was later than usual ; the even- 
ing was calm and vailed by a fog, not a zephyr 
stirred the bronze hair of the poor sufferer, who was 
walking slowly, her hat in her hand, exposing thus, 
her feverish head to the benefit of the pure fresh 
air. Notwithstanding the sweet tranquillity of this 
nature in mourning, she could not this day find the 
least sleep, but refreshed by her promenade, calmed 
by the profound repose which surrounded her on 
every side, she felt better. She was preparing to 
return by a long detour, when she suddenly heard 
talking in a thicket of neighboring laurels. 

She soon recognized the voice of one of the large 
pupils, “the eldest,” as the oldest was called, who 
was conversing with a nun of the convent. The 
young girl was a Thessalian, a cousin of Walpurga 
de Heiligenthal ; her accent and her discourse yet 
more revealed only too much to Najeska Ivanowna. 

“ How sad and unhappy I am to leave you, my 
sister,” said the pupil. “But mamma does not wish 
me to remain any longer in the house which shelters 
that miserable Mineleko.” 

“Do not judge so hastily, my daughter, and especi- 
ally do not be severe, for fear of being unjust. See 
how gentle and sad this poor unfortunate creature 
is ; she is a model of resignation, never a murmur, 


338 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


never a complaint. It would be much to be desired 
if all of us knew how to imitate her submission in 
the trials which Heaven may send us.” 

“ I do not say it, my sister, but that does not pre- 
vent her having done something very dreadful.” 

“After what they say of her one may expect any- 
thing from her. It appears that unequaled in 
strategy, she has extorted the half of the king’s 
fortune. She would have completely ruined him, 
she would even have ruined the kingdom, if the 
Empress of Hindostan had not interposed. Yes, in 
spite of all the sorrow that I will experience in see- 
ing you no more I am almost happy at the idea of 
not having to encounter this bad vvoman.” 

Bounding under this infamous calumny, Hajeska 
Ivanowna going to rush out of her retreat and cry : 

“You lie! your people lie! the king, the empress, 
all lie ! I have taken nothing, desired nothing. I 
have refused all, even to the least present that the 
poorest suitor offers to his betrothed. I repeat it to 
you, it is an odious lie. I alone am outraged. I 
alone am the victim. I alone have the right to 
complain, to accuse!” 

But reason predominating over the affront under 
which she had bounded, she sorrowfully said to her- 
self : 

“ What use to seek to justify myself? would they 
even listen to me? Am I not the holocaust of the 
king, of this king that they believe and that they 
cherish. Am I not the immolation of this empress 
whose name all the people venerate? Of what avail 
would be my demands, my appeals to justice, for my 
right?” 

A lingering regard, filled with resignation, cast 
upon one of the Christs whose outstretched arms 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


339 


called her to him, as if to clasp her to this heart 
which had loved and suffered so much, calmed a 
little this unhappy creature whose life was nothing 
more than a painful Calvary. A frightful sob es- 
caped from her panting bosom, her head fell heavily 
in her emaciated hands, and thus absorbed in her 
despair, she remained a long time, feeling neither 
the cold which was increasing nor the fog which 
was descending. 

Alas! when misfortune crushes us under its icy 
claw, it is in vain we struggle, endeavoring to re- 
habilitate ourselves, we must either bend or suc- 
cumb under the burden. Besides, what is there to 
be done against the malignity of the world, so 
prompt to exercise its judgments, whether true or 
false, but so slow to retract them. Is it not better 
to wait for time, that great justifier of the oppressed 
and the oppressors? But not a thought, not a com- 
plaint, not a murmur, came to touch this proud and 
delicate soul, the magnanimous creature had mod- 
esty of her martyrdom, of her profound abandon- 
ment. When indignant and suffering from the 
wounds of life, from the hissing of vipers infuriated 
against her, she felt rebellion invading her rankling 
heart, she came quickly +o conceal her grief in the 
tears silently shed in the refuge of her narrow cell. 
But was she really so unhappy? Since the visit of 
the man of God a great quietude, a profound peace 
inundated her soul ; she felt that if life and man- 
kind had cruelly struck her she remained none the 
less worthy, none the less respectable, by the noble- 
ness and resignation with which she had passed 
through all the phases of her tribulations. Her 
conscience, that judge which nothing can corrupt, 
did it not tell her that it is as much a glory to die 


340 


lIEn ROYAL LOVER. 


innocent, as it is a shame to live guilty ; comparing 
her role thus with that of her executioners, she had 
not been willing to change it. Oh, no ! no ! a thou- 
sand times no ! Gradually and entirely now security 
in the immensity of the consoling God had entered 
in her heart, which no human profanity would ever 
be able to touch. The Creator, in all His majesty, 
in all His mystery, was appearing to His creatures, 
who suddenly illuminated with a new and hitherto 
unknown light, fell on her knees and adored her 
God, her Father. Like the Christians in the early 
ages, a superhuman enthusiasm transported her 
soul in the ethereal regions of immensity, and she 
began to love her sufferings, her martyrdom, be- 
cause she believed in a divine compensation. Oh, 
sublimity of faith! whither extends the depths of 
thy consolations? 


\ MER ROYAL LOVER, 


341 


CHAPTER XLVI. 

LAST HOURS. 

Seven months have elapsed since the last events. 
We are in May. 

During the preceding March Xajeska Ivanowna 
has become a mother; she has given birth to a 
sickly little boy ; the son of the king. 

This atom in creation, this blood of her blood she 
loves with a passion all kneaded with tears, all 
cemented with pains. The more anguish and tears 
this poor little being has cost her the more she feels 
herself attached to it. Born in a condition border- 
ing on poverty, she will surround it with solicitudes, 
with delicacies, with luxuries even, that her mater- 
nal love will know how to procure for it. She loves 
it with all the regrets that for it alone she experi- 
ences at the idea that were it not for the interven- 
tion of the Empress of Hindostan this birth, almost 
a shame to-day, would have made the happiness of 
a king. Of this poor child, born of a love lost as 
soon as created, she asks pardon for the abandon- 
ment of his father, pardon for the life which she 
has given him, for the joys, for the pleasures of 
which he is deprived. Poor woman ! what does she 
not suffer, what has she not suffered ! Her sick- 
ness, so tormented by the alternatives which she 
had to undergo, was painful and burdensome, her 
accouchment, occurring in such unhappy circum- 
stances, made her very ill. Several times they had 
feared as much for the child as for the mother, for 


342 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


from the worn envelope of this tender and sensitive 
heart life was slowly but surely retiring. 

The physicians, in order to reanimate this flame, 

nearly extinguished, had sent her to S , a little 

sea-side resort on the Adriatic. There, far from all 
noise, she had rented a modest villa at whose base 
the waves broke. 

Whiter than the white dressing-gown in which 
she was as if enshrouded, she remained long hours 
lying upon her couch, admiring the boundless ex- 
tent of the waves which down there, very far down 
there, as far as her thoughts could extend, were 
confounded with the sky. At other times when the 
weather was fine, the atmospheie pure and serene, 
they painfully transported her upon a terrace of the 
little villa, and she remained there as long as her 
strength would permit her. 

Her visage, completely emaciated by the con- 
tusions of her tears, all pale with the too well- 
known lines of death, disappeared under a mantilla 
of Spanish lace. With love and pity, this dying 
mother was eagerly regarding her son, this son so 
feeble that it seemed as though the robust arms of 
his Venetian nurse must crush him like a blade of 
grass. The expression of this little face, completely 
blue with the destard, which he had inherited from 
the sufferings of his mother, was angelic, as if it al- 
ready belonged to another sphere. Because the 
mother had been a victim and a martyr, this poor 
child, retained its life by a very slight breath ; it 
was forever stamped with the seal of weakness and 
suffering. 

“Was it not enough then for her to suffer? was it 
still necessary to these inhuman executioners that 
the innocent should expiate and die,” 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


\ 

343 


All these thoughts were clashing and crossing 
each other in the enfeebled brain of the poor in- 
valid. A little renose, a little quiet and affection, 
and perhaps nature had still resisted ; but nothing ; 
nothing but desertion, grief, regrets. What more 
was necessary to destroy this sensitive being emaci- 
ated by sorrow?” 

As upon the finest summer days, this spring sky 
was of an intense blue ; the sun become a magnifi- 
cent incandescent globe was sinking into the waves, 
entirely covered with marine alga ; each house of 

the little town of S was enkindled with the last 

light of day ; one had said that an immense conflagra- 
tion was about to consume all. It was a magnificent 
spectacle, but soon a long, reddish train alone re- 
mained on the horizon, as if it was the blood of her 
bruised heart which tinted this sea. Gradually the 
country recovered its customary aspect, and then 
entirely disappeared under the shadows of twilight 
which were invading the earth. The church bell 
was heard in the distance; its clear and joyous 
voice was throwing its gay and pearly notes, an- 
nouncing that the hour of “Ave Marie,” of repose 
and prayer, had come. 

The day had been hot without being oppressive, 
the warm colors of the setting sun were announcing 
another day full of promise for the bathers and the 
tourist. 

A gentle breeze which was rising out at sea was 
wafting its refreshing breath upon all brows fatigued 
by the heat of the day. IsTajeska Ivanowna, profit- 
ing of these beneficent zephyrs, was installed upon 
the terrace, very near a large door, where the two 
little girls of her first marriage were now wildly 
and heedlessly pla-yipg with their old Russian gov- 


344 


HER ROYAL LOVER. 


erness, who had replaced their nurses. The 
branches, gently agitated by a light breeze, seemed 
more than ever to evoke in her mind the remem- 
brance of a past very near still, but which events so 
manifold had rendered so distant; each agitated 
branch, each rustling leaf, had a very distinct voice, 
which murmured very low in the ear of the poor 
forsaken creature : 

“ Since thy last hour is going soon to strike wait 
no. more ; bid us an adieu which will be eternal for 
us who have known and loved thee. See how entire 
nature is in festal robes for this last evening which 
she dedicates to thy weeping soul. Do not be un- 
grateful. Let thy last smile be for us who have 
comprehended thy sorrows, who have pitied theOi 
and be without fear, for beyond this world, where 
thou hast suffered so much, there is eternity, there 
is repose, there is love.” 

Then before the almost sightless eyes of the prin- 
cess a star more brilliant than the rest cleft the 
firmament in two. With the rapidity of lightning 
it appeared in the east, and was extinguished in the 
west. Then some sounds which had nothing of the 
terrestrial re-echoed in her drowsy head. What 
was going to become of her? Was she ill or was 
this death? To die ! but, if she was dying there, be- 
yond the limits of this life, was forgetfulness, was 
happiness! — but her children! her children whom 
she was going to leave ! 

A whole hour has elapsed ; a great cry is heard. 
From whence comes it? It is the nurse of the poor 
baby become an orphan who has uttered it. This 
woman, believing that her mistress had sunk into a 
sweet sleep, had at first religiously respected that 
repose; but feeling the cold of the night growing 


IlEll ROYAL LOVER. 


345 


heavy upon the earth, she had feared for the 
princess. She had, ai first, endeavored to awaken 
her by addressing some words to her ; receiving no 
response, she had approached her, and touched her, 
and then only had found her frozen with that cold 
death alone can impart. 

Gently, without a pang, the* Great Reaper had 
gathered this scarcely opened flower which men had 
rejected. It was a star which was extinguished, 
ere it hardly arrived from heaven. 

[the end.] 


^GOSE,” by Otto Ruppius, will be published in the 
next number (6) of the Primrose Edition. 


AiTiSR BAN'S Ill'S. 


An Entrancing Emotional Story, 


By BERTHA M. OLAY. 


No. I of the Primrose Edition of Copyright Noveis. 


Price, Cloth, $ i ; Paper, 50 Cents. 


SOME OPINIONS OP THE PEESS. 

Messrs. Street* Smith, New York, begin anew series of novels — “The 
Primrose Library”— with “Another Man’s Wife,” by Bertlia M. Clay. The 
storj has enough plot to keep one from fallintr asleep over it, and it also in- 
dicates the stumbhng-blocks and pitfalls which abound everywhere for 
young husbands and wives who think so much about having “a good time” 
that they have no time left m which to think about reputation and 
character. — N. T. Herald^ Sejit. 10. 

Street & Smith publish the American copyright novel, “Another Man’s 
Wife.” by Bertha M. Clay. It deals with certain corrupting influences of 
fashionable society, and impressively warns of the dangers that spring 
from them. Its plot is strong and dramatic, and is elaborated with all of 
the qualities of style that have made the author so popular. It is the first 
issue of the new Primrose Series.— Boston Globe, Sept. 16. 

“Another Man’s Wife,” by Bertha M. Clay. Street & Smith’s Primrose 
Series, is a laudable effort toward the repression of the growing evil of 
matrimonial disloyalty. The book is handsomely bound, with a holiday 
look about it . — Brooklyn Eagle, Sept. 1.5. 

Street & Smith of New York publish in cloth cover “Another Man’s 
Wife,” by Bertha M. Clav. The story is effective. It impressively depicts 
the results certain to attend the sins of deception. It teaches a lesson that 
will not l>e lost upon those thoughtless men and women who, only intent 
upon pleasure, little dream of the pitfall before them, and to which they are 
blind until expostire wrecks happiness . — Troy (N. Y.) Press. 

Street & Smith. New York, have brought out in book-form “Another 
Man’s Wife.” This is one of Bertha M. Clay’s most eftective stories.— 
Cincinnati Enquirer, 

“Another Man’s Wife.” This is one of Bertha M. Clay’s most eflfectivo 
stories. It forcibly and irapressibly portrays the evils certain to attend 
matrimonial deceit, ciandestine interviews, and all the tricks and devices 
which imperil a wife’s honor. It has a novel and entrancingly interesting 
plot, and abounds in vivid and dramatic incidents. It is the first issue (d 
Street & Smith’s Primrose Edition Oj Copyright ^Qypls, an4 WJU hot appeal 
Freemtm. •' *' 


DENMAN THOMPSON’S OLD HOMESTEAD. 


STREET & SMITH’S SELECT SERIES No, 23^ 


JPrice* 25 Oen'ts, 


Some Ooinions of the Press* 

As the probabilities are remote of the play ‘ The Old C'^mestead * being 
Been anywhere but in large cities It is only fair that the story of the piece should 
be printed. Like most stories written from plays it contains a great deal wiiicb. 
la not said or done on the boards, yet it is no more verbose than such a story 
should be and it gives some good pictures of the scenes and people who for a 
year or more have been delighting thousands nightly. Uncle Josh, Aunt Tildy, 
Old Cy Prime, Reuben, the mythical Bill Jones, the sheriff and all the other char- 
acters are here, beside some new ones. It Is to be hooed tnat the book will make 
a large sale, not only on its merits, but that other play owners may feel encour- 
aged to let their works be read by the many thousands who cannot hope to see 
them on the stage.”— ilT. F. Het'ald, June 2d. 

“ Denman Thompson’s ‘The Old Homestead’ Is a story of clouds and sunshine 
alternating over a venerat d home; of a grand old man. honest and blunt, w ho 
loves his honor as he loves his life, yet suffers the agony of the condemned in 
learning of the deplorable conduct of a wayward son; a story of country lire, love 
and Jealousy, without an Impure thought, and w ith the healthy flavor of t he 
fields in every chapter. It is fotinded on Denman Thompson s drama of ‘The 
Old Homestead.’ ''—N. Y. Press, May 26th, 

“ Messrs. Street & Smith, publishers of the New TorTc WeeMy, have brought 
out in book-form the story of * The Old Homestead,’ the play which, as produced 
by Mr. Denman Thompson, has met with such wondrous success. It will proba- 
bly have a great sale, thus justifying the foresight of the publishers In giving the 
drama this permanent Action form.’ — ,V. Y. Morning Journal, June 2d. 

“The popularity of Denman Thompson’s play of • The Old Homestead’ has 
encouraged Street & Smith, evidently with his permission, to publish a good-sized 
novel with the same title, set in the same scenes and including the sume charac- 
ters and more too. The book Is a fair match for the play In the simple good taste 
and real ability with which it is written. The publishers are si reet & Srnltli, and 
^ey have gotten the volume up in cheap popular form.”— iV. Y. Graphic, May 29. 

“Denman Thompson’s play, ‘The Old Homestead,’ is familiar, at least by rep- 
utation, to every play-goer in the country. Its truth to nature and Its simpl© 
patljos have been admirably preserved In this story, which Is founded upon it 
and follows its incidents closely. The requirements of the stag make the action 
a little hurried at times, but the scenes described are brought before the mind’s 
eye with remarkable vividness, and the portrayal of life in the little New Eng- 
land town Is almost perfect. Those who have never seen the play can get an 
excellent idea of wliat it Is like from the book. Both are free from sentlmentaUt*- 
%ad sensation, and are remarkably healthy in tone.”— Albany Express. 

•‘Denman Thompson’s ‘Old Homestead’ has been put into story -lorm ana la is- 
sued by Street & Sirdih. The story will somewhat explain to those who have not 
seen It the great popularity of the Brooklyn Times, June 8th. 

“The fame of Denman Thompson’s play, ‘Old Homestead,’ Is world-wide. 
Tens of thousands have enjoyed it, and frequently recall the pure, lively pleasure 
they took in Its representation. This is the story told in narrative form as well 
as It was told on tne stage, and will be a treat to all, whether they h^•’'^ seen the 
play or not ” — National 'Tribune, Washington, D. C. 

“Hero we have the shaded lanes, the dusty roads, the hilly pastures, the 
peaked roots, the school-house, and the familiar faces of dear old Swanzey, and 
the story which, dramatized, has packed the largest theater in New York, and 
has been a success everywhere because of its true and sympathetic touches ol 
nature. All the Incidents which have held audiences spell-bound are here re- 
corded— the accu-sation of robbery directed against the Innocent boy, his shame, 
and leaving home ; the dear old Aunt Tilda, who has been courted for thirty 
years bv the mendacious Cy Prime, who has never had the courage to propose; 
the fall' of the country boy into the temptations of city life, and his recovery by 
the good old man who braves the metropolis to And him. The story embodies att 
that the play tells, and all tuat It suggests as wen,”— Citn JmmaiU 
MfliyDTUi, 


THE COUNTY FAIR. 

By NEIL BURGESS. 

* Written from the celebrated play now 
running its second continuous season in 
New York, and booked to run a third sea- 
son in the same theater. 

The scenes are among the New Hamp- 
shire hills, and picture the bright side of 
country life. The story is full of amusing 
events and happy incidents, something 
after the style of our “Old Homestead,” 
which is having such an enormous sale. 

THE COUNTY FAIIU’ will be one 
of the great hits of the season, and should 
you fail to secure a copy you will miss a 
literary treat. It is a spirited romance of 
town and country, and a faithful repro- 
duction of the drama, with the same unique 
characters, the same graphic scenes, but 
with the narrative more artistically rounded, and completed than was 
possible in the brief limits of a dramatic representation. This touch- 
ing story effectively demonstrates that it is possible to produce a novel 
which is at once wholesome and interesting in every part, without the 
introduction of an impure thought or suggestion. Read the following 

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS: 

Mr. Neil Burgess has rewritten his play, “The Coiinty Fair,” in story form. It 
rounds out a narrative which is comparatively but sketched in the play. It only needs 
the first sentence to set going the memory and imagination of those who have seen the 
latter and whet the appetite for the rest of this lively conception of a live dramatist.— 
Brooklyn Daily EaoU. 

As “The County Fair” threatens to remain in New York for a long time the general 
public out of town may be glad to learn that the playwright has put the piece into pnnt 
in the form of a story. A tale based upon a play may sometimes lack certain literary 
qualities, but it never is the sort of thing over which any one can fall asleep. For- 
tunately, “The County Fair” on the stage and in print is by the same author, so there 
can be no reason for fearing that the book misses any of the points of the drama which 
has been so successful — A'. Y. Herald. 

The idea of turning successful plays into novels seems to be getting popular. The 
latest book of this description is a story reproducing the action and incidents of Neil 
Burgess’ play, “The County Fair.” The tale, which is a romance based on scenes of 
home life and domestic joys and sorrows, follows closely the lines of the drama in 
story and lAot.— Chicago Dauy News. 

Mr. Burgess’ amusing play, “The County Fair.” has been received with such favor 
that he has worked it over and expanded it into a novel of more than 200 pages. It will 
be enjoyed even by those who nave never heard the play and stiU more by those who 
h&ye.— Cincinnati Times-Star. 

This touching story effectively demonstrates that it is possible to produce a novel 
which is at once wholesome and interesting in every part, without the introduction of 
an impure thought or suggestion.— A fban'i Press. 

Street & Smith have issued “The County Fair.” This is a faithful reproduction of 
the drama of that name and is an affecting and vivid story of domestic life, joy and 
sorrow, and rural scenes.— San Francisco Call. 

This romance is written from the play of this name and is full of touching incidents. 
^Evansville Journal. 

It is founded on the popular play of the same name, in which Neil Burgess, who is 
also the author of the story, has achieved the dramatic success of the season.— i^’aK 
Biver Herald. 

Tlxo Oo-U-XX-ty ia No. 33 of “The Select Series,” for 

sale by all Newsdealers, or will be sent, on receipt of price, 25 cents, to any 
address, postpaid, by STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 25*81 Rose st., New York. 



BERTHA M. CLAY’S 

Z-iATZEST 

Copyright Novels, 

IlST 

The Select Series. 

Px*ice, 25 Oezi.ts ISsiols.. 


FULLY ILLUSTEATED. 


No. 22.-A HEART’S BITTERNESS. 

No. 28.-A HEART’S IDOL. 

No. 36.-THE GIPSY’S DAUGHTER. 
No. 37.-IN LOVES CRUCIBLE. 

No. 39.-MARJORIE DEANE. 

These novels are among the best ever writ- 
ten by BERTHA M. CLAY, and are enjoying 
an enormous sale. They are copyrighted and 
can be had only in THE SELECT SERIES. 


For sale by all Booksellers and News Agents, or will be sent, post- 
paid. to any address in the United States or Canada, on receipt of 
price, 25 cents each, by 

STREET & SMITH. Publishers, 

P. O. Box 2734. . 31 Rosa Street, New York. 


Mrs. Georgie Sheldon’s 

Copyright Novels, 

iisr 

The Select Series. 


rrioo, 25 Coixts lESetolx. 


FULLY ILLUSTRATED. 


No. 16-SIBYL’S INFLUENCE. 

No. 24-THAT DOWDY. 

No. 43-TKIXY. 

No. 44-A TRUE ARISTOCRAT. 

These novels, from the pen of our gifted au- 
thor, who writes exclusively for us, are among 
her most popular productions, and hold the front 
rank in first-class literature. 


For sale by all Booksellers and News Agents, or will be sent, post- 
paid, to any address in the United States or Canada, on receipt of 
price, 25 cents each, by 

STREET & SMITH, Pnblishers, 

P. O. Box 2734. >§1 Bose Street, New York. 



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W OMEN’S SECRETS 


The public are at last permitted to take a peep into the 
wonderful and mysterious art of 

“HOW TO BE BEAUTIFUL.” 

We will soon become a nation of Beauty. Read how, in the table of 

CONTENTS : 

THU VALUE OF PERSONAL BEAUTY.— Tliia cliapter relates to the beauty 
iu “Genius,” “Sti en^ftli.” "Reliffiou,” “Poetry,” and “Chivalry.” 

THj... history of beauty. — M ode of acquiring it by the people of different 
nations. What j)eoplo are the most beautiful? 

VARIOUS STANDARDS OF BEAUTY. — Tastes of civilized and uncivilized 
P“qide. The French definition of beauty. 

THE BEST STANDARD OF BEAUTY.— Defines the Head, Hair, Eyes, Cheeks, 
Ears, Nose, Mouth, Bosom, Limbs, and in fact every part of the human form. 

HOW TO RAISE BEAUTIFUL CHIIjDREN. — To newly married people, and 
those who contemplate entering the oujugal state, this chapter alone is 
■well worth the price of the book. 

HOW TO BE BEAUTIFUIa— T his chaptei is full of information, as it not only 
tells how to beautify every part of the form and features, but gives recipes 
and cures for all the ailments which tend to mar or blemish. 

BEAUTY SLEEP.— T'o be beautiful it is not neces.sar3' to be like the bird that 
seeks its nest at sunset and goes forth again at sunrise. You will here find 
the required time to be spent in bed, the positions most conducive to health, 
facts regarding ventilation, bed-clothes, adornments, and other useful hints. 

BEAUTY FOOD. — Instructs how, when, and where to eat, and also treats of 
Digestion, Complexion, Foods which color th"^ skin, etc. 

HOW TO BE FAT.— The information imparted in this chapter will be a boon to 
thin, delicate women, as it tells what to eat and what to avoid, also what to 
drink and how to dress when plumpness i.s desirable. 

HOW TO BE LEAN.— If corpulent women will carefully follow the instructions 
herein, they will be hanpi’ and enjoy life. 

BEAUTY BATHING AND EXERCISE.— This chapter is intended for every 
one to read and profit by. There is no truer saying than “Cleanliness is next 
to Godliness.” 

EFFECT.S OF MENTAL EMOTIONS ON BEAUTY.— After you read this, we 
feel safe in saying that you will not give way to anger, surprise, fright, grief, 
vexation, etc., but will , at all times strive to be cheerful and make the best 
of life. 

HOW BEAUTY IS DESTROYED — The women are warned in this chapter 
against quack doctors and their nostrums, the dangers of overdosing, and 
irregular habits. 

HOW TO REMAIN BEAUTTFUL.—Tt is just as easy for those that are beauti- 
ful to remain so as to allow themselves to fade aw'ay like a flower which 
only blooms for a season. 

HOW TO ACQUIRE GRACE AND STYLE.— Without grace and style beauty 
is lost. They are as essential as a beautiful face. To walk ungracefully or 
awkwardly is not onl.y vulgar but detrimental to the health. 

THE LANGUAGE OF BEAUTY.— This chapter will enable you to read a per- 
son and learn his or her character, without the use of a phrenological chart. 

CORSETS.- When and what kind should be worn. How they were originated, 
and by whom. 

CYCLING.— The latest craze for ladies is fully described in this chapter. 


WOMEN’S SECIIETS;op,HowtolieBeaiitlfaL 

THE BEST SELLING BOOK OF THE DAY. . 


••Ttist Out. Price 2S Cents. 

For Sale by all Ne'wsd.ealers. 


STREET & SMITH, Publishers. 

U.l ILorse Htreet. 



FfGITTrNG FOR IT. 


Here is a L'ood-natnred sci ainble for a cake of Pears’ Soap, vvhicli ouly 
illustrates Imw necessary it IxM-onies to all i)eople who have once tried it 
and discovered its merits, '^ome who aslc for it have to fiirht for it in a 
more.’serious way, and that too in dnm- stores where all sorts of vile and 
inferior soaps are urjreil upon them as suhstitutes. But thev can always 
get tbefireniiine Pears’ Soap, if they will he as persistent us are these urchins. 




















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